Stargate: The Avalon conundrum
by MaisieK
Summary: This story follows John, Rodney, Teyla and Ronon as SG-14 when two new (original) characters are assigned to the team. Their mission, to make peaceful contact and establish trade agreements with the inhabitants of a planet.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes:**

Hello people. Glad to see you clicked the story to see what it is about. After spending some time writing my own novel I realized I wanted to better my writing in another medium and since I had a Stargate story planned out I thought, why not make a fourth attempt at writing it out.

Key to my success is that this time I wrote it in a short story format by taking two hundred words from the ten thousand. That way it was less overwhelming and I got to finish writing it before posting which I prefer.

Once you finished reading please leave a review. I would love to read about what you liked, disliked and in what ways you think I can write better.

So for clarification, this is a short story of roughly 22.000 words split into 16 chapters which I will be posting weekly. (To give my beta reader the time to go through each chapter)

I hope you will enjoy the story. Have a nice time reading.

* * *

 **2012 August 06**

 **Earth**

 **Atlantis, Mess hall**

The alarm of an incoming wormhole was cut short by Chuck's announcement of a Jaffa IDC. Ignoring the loud klinks from the cutlery mingled with the murmur of soldiers and scientists, Ronon focussed on his food. His plate was filled with a large pile of mashed potatoes, broccoli, and several pieces of chicken. Having grown used to the Earth cutlery after his introduction by Sheppard years ago, Ronon used his fork to pick up a large portion of mashed potatoes. Wishing the fork was larger so he could pick up more food at once, he filled his mouth. Chewing on the soft food his attention shifted to Rodney. The scientist was rapidly draining his coffee mug, his mouth rapidly moving as he explained his work on some invention. Not understanding a thing of what Rodney was saying, Ronon looked at John. Noticing how John was intrigued by Rodney's explanation while pretending to look at some of the women in the mess hall Ronon grinned.

Meanwhile, Teyla nodded and told Rodney how interesting it was. Ensuring that through these compliments his temper was prevented from flaring up. During which she was taking care of her schedule, writing down when she would need a sitter and who might be available to take care of Torren.

Strangely enough, the four-year-old had taken a liking to Mr. Woolsey. It was quite unexpected since he himself had avoided taking care of Torren. But after Torren stopped wetting himself and did not require being cleaned anymore Mr. Woolsey became more open to taking care of the little boy.

Thinking back to Sateda, Ronon fondly remembered when he started his training. He could not wait for when Torren turned six and he could start training the boy. Though he would have to slightly alter the Satedan training regimen so he could include the Bantos fighting style since he was pretty sure Teyla would want it included.

Taking a look at her he saw that Teyla had written down something on her schedule. Noticing that Rodney had gone silent as he chewed on his lemon-free chicken, Ronon thought to ask John about some advice.

"Do you think we could speak to the IOA council now that three years have passed?" Ronon asked out loud, in reference to the months after Atlantis had returned to Earth and the IOA had refused to create a new permanent presence in the Pegasus Galaxy.

Shifting his sitting position John put away his thoughts on the project Rodney was talking about and thought about the situation. Taking a quick glance at the sea from his seat, John had a hint of sorrow in his voice, "I doubt it, buddy. They have no reason to see you and Teyla. And they are not interested in returning Atlantis to Pegasus since she is such a large source of technology and knowledge. Atlantis will probably be kept on Earth for at least a lifetime."

Closing her scheduling notebook after having finished writing out when she would have some Bantos sessions with John, Teyla wondered.

"After we saved Earth, Mr. Woolsey did say he felt it was too early to go to the IOA. Surely after three years now is the time John?"

Turning to Ronon she continued, "And if they refuse to send Atlantis back which they likely will we can always go back ourselves."

Cutting their conversation about Pegasus short was the activation of the Atlantis communication system blaring an order for Colonel Sheppard and his team to report to the Conference room.

Responding to the order, both John and Teyla stood up. Ronon and McKay were too busy shoveling as much food as they could fit into their mouths to hear the order. Noticing the others leaving without them, they got up and ran after the others while still swallowing food.

The majestic halls of Atlantis were strewn with SGC personnel. Massive renovations had begun months earlier, and they had temporarily relocated everyone from Cheyenne mountain to the ancient city-ship.

While walking for several minutes, they observed the scientists and soldiers walking the halls, hauling all kinds of equipment from one location to another. As the team reached the transporter booth they walked into the small room. Huddling together to fit, John pressed their destination on the pad in the back and they were teleported up to the control tower. Stepping out of the identical room into the gate room, the four members of SG-14 were witness to a large group of Jaffa leaving Atlantis through the Stargate.

Walking up the stairs, John and his team entered the Conference room. As they all got inside, the doors automatically closed. It was as if the doors somehow read their minds to know if everyone had arrived. General Landry, who had moved into Atlantis as the commanding officer of Stargate operations, stood in the center of the room. The rest of the room was filled with seven tall Jaffa. John found his seat, sitting down, silently hoping for Ronon to behave himself.

Several long seconds passed before the general sat down at the head of the table. Looking to the Jaffa who had sat down to the right of General Landry John recognized Teal'c. Still missing the old Lantean table that originally stood in the Conference room John focused on General Landry, who had started talking about

the Traditionalist Jaffa on Dakara.

"And that is why these six are here. It is the hope of both Teal'c and master Bra'tac that by having six Jaffa they trained join some of our SG teams the situation will turn around. This will be an attempt to see if the Free Jaffa Nation and Earth can be bound together closer now that the Traditionalist Jaffa are the majority."

Taking a breath General Landry continued, "Through this experiment, we hope to take away some of the control the Traditionalist Jaffa currently hold within Jaffa high council."

Taking a look at the seven Jaffa sitting to his right General Landry turned to Sheppard and his team. "Due to Ronon his experience with Jaffa fighting techniques from his time spent with Teal'c during the Wraith incursion we considered who would be a good fit. Together with Teal'c, we have decided that both Lesya and Ry'tac will be assigned to SC-14."

Letting out a low grunt Ronon perked up. "Are you really being overwhelmed by those so-called Traditionalist Jaffa Teal'c? I did not expect that from you."

Smiling at Ronon his challenge Teal'c answered with a direct tone.

"Ronon Dex, you know just as well as I do politics are a different battlefield, annoyingly filled with honour-less warriors. We need every advantage we can get and strengthening relationships with Earth will be an enormous weight in our favour. Especially now they believe we are not above the flat surface."

Quickly realising what Teal'c meant John said, "I guess you meant above board there Teal'c. But why would the Traditionalist Jaffa assume you are lying?"

"They assume we are hiding gifts from Earth to keep for ourselves on Chulak so we may overthrow them." With a twitching face, Teal'c continued with a loud voice, "Which is absurd. It made master Bra'tac furious. How dare they imply we are without honour!"

"We will figure out what to do Teal'c," General Landy said to stop the normal silent Jaffa of few words from springing in a rant.

"Ever since he joined the Jaffa high council Teal'c had been stressed, falling into more and more rants," the General thought silently.

"For now your team, Lesya and Ry'tac should get acquainted. Why don't you go to the gym and have a few sparring sessions, exchanging some techniques."

Before John could reply the General said, "And John, don't have me make that an order, ok?"

Knowing he did not have much choice John glanced at the two Jaffa who was now part of his team and said, "Let's go."

Exiting through the automatic doors John felt wary of the two Jaffa who followed them. Leaving behind the four other Jaffa with Teal'c and General Landry. As they walked down the stairs, choosing to walk to the gym instead of taking a transporter Ry'tac spoke up.

"Ronon Dex, why did you speak so casually towards master Teal'c?"

Feeling that the first problem to avoid had arrived way too quickly John said, "I am sure Ronon would love to share the story again, wouldn't you buddy?"

Grunting Ronon slowed his pace for a second to get in between the two Jaffa.

"It all happened a couple of years ago. The Wraith took over the Midway station. Teal'c and I were there. We went to Earth, beat the Wraith. Saved that little bald man. Passed the interview. That is pretty much it."

Increasing his pace to go back to his previous position behind John Ronon left behind two confused Jaffa.

"So what actually happened," Lesya asked John.

"Ronon and Teal'c were in quarantine on the Midway station when the Wraith figured out how to dial in. Knowing they could not let the Wraith get control of the SGC on Earth the two of them went to Earth, battled and defeated the Wraith on the base together. Meanwhile, we went to Midway and managed to kill all the Wraiths there thanks to Mckay."

Looking around John ignored the stares by the two Jaffa who were likely wondering how Mckay had managed to kill a large group of Wraith. Thinking up how to explain it in a quickly, John continued as they walked into a hallway, nearing the gym.

"Mckay vented the air from the station killing all the Wraith. This allowed the remaining personnel and the team to reach the emergency Jumper before Midway finished the countdown to its self-destruct. Luckily Mckay noticed that I managed to climb into one of the EVA suits so I would not suffocate. They did, however, drive me mad with their constant bickering at the start of our two weeks of waiting for the Daedalus."

Walking in silence for a couple of minutes John wondered about the Jaffa, "So Lesya, Ry'tac, what kind of training did you receive from Bra'tac and Teal'c?"

Thinking back to the harsh and rewarding training Lesya spoke up quickly, not giving Ry'tac a chance to answer.

"For the last four year we were trained by both masters Bra'tac and master Teal'c in both Lok'nel and Mastaba. Master Teal'c does appear to have a certain dislike for Mastaba, leaving most of our training in it to master Bra'tac. We were trained in the usage of all Jaffa weapons. Furthermore, in the usage of Aschen, Ilempiri, Hebridian or if you will Serrakin weaponry. Master Bra'tac also send several people to attempt a peaceful trade of weaponry with the Tagrean people so we could learn to use those as well but they refused. Additionally, we have also had some training with several Alteran weapons we managed to find in ruins, in preparation for coming to Atlantis."

"That, that is impressive. Do you also fly?" John stumbled out, surprised by the amount of training, or that they had even been able to find Alteran weaponry. So far they had been unable to find any in Atlantis, it probably being tucked away safely in a hidden weapons locker somewhere.

"Yes we did, Colonel Sheppard. We learned to fly the Needle Threader. Furthermore, General O'Neill was kind enough to allow us to take flying lessons for several of your Earth planes including the F-302. It also appears the gene therapy for the ATA gene is less effective in Jaffa as only I and Ry'tac tested positive after receiving it. Which is lucky as we have both been looking forward to learning how to fly a Puddle Jumper."

Glad that Lesya and Ry'tac were at least pilots like him John noticed they had arrived at the gym. It had been a nice one-mile walk to the tower on the East pier which held the gym. During their walk they could enjoy the view of the ocean. Something that was more relaxing than the grey walls of the previous SGC they had luckily moved out off for the moment. Entering the gym and moving towards the sparring room John heard Mckay whine once again out of breath. Cutting through the complaint Teyla said to John, "John, maybe we should have Rodney train some more. His condition has really taken a hit from the lower amount of missions through the Stargate."

After having their first encounter with Mckay's complaining Lesya and Ry'tac fully agreed with Teyla as they all followed John into the sparring room. Ry'tac and Teyla moved off to the side as he had requested to be taught the usage of Bantos gladly took him in. Another student, especially a Jaffa, would allow her to spread the ways of the Athosians even further. In the meantime, Ronon and Lesya had moved off to the other side to spar, Lesya curious towards the Satedan style leaving John with just Mckay. Since his condition had to be improved John forced Rodney to join him for some running. To his annoyance, Rodney stopped after three circles and sat down.

Fed up with rodney John moved over to join Ry'tac and Teyla to practise the Banto rods. Now he could test out his newest team member while Teyla gave both him and John advice on their stances. While practising with Ry'tac John overheard Lesya talking to Ronon about Mckay. Realising that Mckay was bringing down their reputation and credibility in the eyes of the Jaffa John made a mental note. He had to set up a training regimen to get Rodney back in shape. After an hour of sparring they decided to split. Lesya and Ry'tac joined John and Rodney for lunch the two had yet to finish. Meanwhile, Teyla and Ronon went the other way to speak with Mr. Woolsey about speaking to the IOA council.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes:**

 **SmashingDaisies, Katiedead, Anthropos Agnostos:** Thank you for your reviews. :) Thanks to you and some others who helped I figured my weak points lie in run-on sentences, the way I wrote dialogue previously, commas and sentence structure. Or at least those are the largest problems I found.

I hope you enjoy the fourth version of chapter one and the newly released chapter two.

* * *

 **2012 August 09**

 **Earth**

 **Atlantis, John's quarters**

John woke up with a shock, the nightmares of the Wraith still plaguing him. It worried him that the IOA had just left Pegasus behind. They would only send one X304 in to monitor the situation and possibly kill a few cruisers if encountered. And that was it, a short mission twice a year.

"It would be nice if General O'Neill could finally get a team together. Then they could check on Rodney's plans to fix Atlantis's hyperdrive," John thought. It was just another excuse the IOA used to deny Atlantis her return to Pegasus.

"A lack of power being another reason used by the IOA," he whispered, his annoyance growing at the IOA. If only they would approve work on creating a power source capable of powering Atlantis's shields and hyperdrive.

Putting those thoughts to rest he got dressed. Deciding he would check in with his two new team members, John left his quarters. Over the last few days he had tried to determine their abilities. From the sparring sessions, John concluded Lesya and Ry'tac were well trained. They were capable of combat at Ronon's level, a level of skill even most of the military personnel in Atlantis had trouble reaching. After testing them on the shooting range, John realized that Lesya and Ry'tac were incredible shots with all the weaponry SG-teams had access to.

It had been an hour since John woke up and started running. It seemed Ronon had taken a liking to sparring with the Jaffa, to gain experience fighting against those who fight in the Lok'nel and Mastaba styles. After walking into the shower and swiftly rinsing himself, John got dressed in his Atlantis uniform. It was interesting how Atlantis had changed since being on Earth. With the SGC having been relocated, the hallways were now filled with a mix of people wearing the sleek Atlantis uniforms and the SGC green overalls. And with the IOA also stationing some people on Atlantis, you could even spot the occasional suits walking through the sea of people. Of course General O'Neill had replied in kind to this IOA action, assigning even more soldiers and scientists to Atlantis.

Upon reaching the mess hall, John grabbed a sandwich and continued on to the Conference room. Thinking back to the training he had put Rodney through, he hoped Rodney's condition had improved to a point there would be no trouble during this mission. As he walked through the control tower he joined up with the rest of his team. Together they walked to the conference room, still wondering how the doors knew when to open and close. Once inside they walked around the table, to their seats.

Taking a look out of the conference room, John saw General Landry come out of his office, closely followed by someone in a suit. If the general's expression was anything to go by, the posh man following the general was part of the IOA. Knowing the briefing was going to start soon, John quickly finished his sandwich and sat up straight. After the general entered and sat down, the doors closed and the chats people were having came to an end. Taking a deep breath, General Landry focused on the file in front of him.

"Good morning everyone. The mission pertains P3X-718, known by the people of P6X-216 as Sosohr. During SG-9 its mission to P6X-216 they were given the gate address to Sosohr, as they are known to be a peaceful people who are always open to trade. Since this planet's address was added by General O'Neill while under influence of the Ancient Repository of knowledge, we assume the Goa'uld never visited this address."

Taking another deep breath and massaging his temples, General Landry visibly relaxed. Sounding more relaxed he continued the briefing.

"Your mission will be to make contact and to make note of what they have to offer. If needed you are authorised to negotiate and offer limited amounts of food and medical supplies."

Sensing the temporary pause John spoke up. "With all due respect sir, why are you not sending a diplomatic SG-team to deal with this?"

With a sigh Landry answered John, some annoyance clearly sounding through his voice.

"The IOA has taken three of our diplomatic teams and made them prepare to join the next expedition to Pegasus. They made an addition to Colonel Carter's mission. She is to search out the Vanir and make an attempt at contact. Their wish is to create a diplomatic relationship for the exchange of technology and ships to fight the Wraith. Which is some progress, but not the kind we like. And it also leaves us with a shortage of diplomatic teams. As bad an idea it might be it is not something we will discuss now."

Turning to Teyla and Ronon on his left, General Landry said: "As for Teyla and Ronon, the two of you will not be joining this mission. The IOA has approved the request for a meeting with you two after Mr. Woolsey spoke with them. Of course, they planned it during your mission in an attempt to make you feel conflicted. That is why I will now order you both to stay on Earth to attend this IOA meeting. Good luck to you two. This briefing is over."

Amidst his team leaving the Conference room, General Landry pulled John back. Mouthing to John he had to wait, they both remained silent until everyone had left and the doors had closed.

"As you have likely guessed, the person that I met with before this briefing was from the IOA. That terrible mission aside there was another thing they wanted. Well, not a thing, they wanted you son. They had transfer orders for you to one of their own bases. What they want with you I do not know. But it cannot be good. I managed to hold them off for now as you are no longer part of the Atlantis expedition. Your uniform aside, you are part of the SGC and thus you fall under military control. But you should watch yourself, John, they are likely to make trouble for you."

"Thank you for the warning, Sir. I would never go with them willingly. So if they kidnap me, and tell you and the others I went willingly, please inform my team and General O'Neill of the situation. They will be able to rescue me."

With that, John walked past the older general. He had learned to respect him like he respected General O'Neill over the last few years. The doors opening, he walked out of the conference room and through the control tower, going back to his team who had likely gone to spar again.

* * *

 **Please leave a review. :) Chapter three will appear on nine September!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's notes:**

 **Anthropos Agnostos:** I thought it would be good to include as from what I remember Teal'c and Ronon are stronger than most people. Teal'c being one of the strongest Jaffa warriors. (Though my memory might be a tad off) So I wanted to convey that even though they are younger Jaffa their training allowed them to be that strong. As for the IOA, they are not the blatant bad guys. Woolsey is for example part of the IOA and he is pretty good in the present. However, some within the IOA were pretty negative so I thought I would use some IOA members as the bad guys on Earth before the following stories build up to a more intergalactic level. ;)

I hope you will all enjoy chapter three.

 **2012 August 10**

 **Earth**

 **Atlantis, John's quarters**

John woke up from a nightmare about the Wraith, helpless to stop a culling of another planet. As a feeling of dread filled him as his mind woke up and he realized how likely this was the reality somewhere in Pegasus right now. Preparing himself John lost track of time as he and Ronon ran their morning route.

After his morning run with Ronon through the bowels of Atlantis, John took a brisk shower. Getting dressed John prepared himself, leaving his quarters at a swift pace, making his way down to the armoury to get ready for the mission. Entering the armoury John walked over to the vests, familiar with its layout after all those years. Getting dressed in the military uniform, laced with plates of the special plastic alloy invented years ago to protect against staff blasts, John grabbed a P90. Fully equipped John left the armour walking through Atlantis towards the Jumper bay to meet his team.

The empty spots in the armoury telling him they had already equipped themselves and were likely waiting in the Jumper. Leaving the armoury John planned on stopping by the mess hall to grab something for breakfast.

Walking down one of Atlantis her many hallways several minutes later John was nibbling on his morning sandwich. Since returning to Earth one of the good things was that fresh food could be delivered within the day to Atlantis. Even so the food native to Pegasus was missed by most of the former members of the Atlantis expedition. Thinking back to that delicious Athosian Tuttleroot soup, rare a treat it was, John finished his sandwich.

Turning the corner into the corridor with the transporter booth John ended up standing in front of two suited men, likely IOA diplomats. Raising an eyebrow John listened as they talked. "Good morning Mr. Sheppard. What a coincidence we would encounter you out here."

Slightly annoyed with the IOA who obviously planned the likely way he would walk to the control tower, John put no effort in hiding his emotions. Angrily staring them in the eyes he answered, "Yes, a very strange 'coincidence' that we would encounter each other here. So what do you want Mr.?"

Pouting his lips in an uneasy smile the IOA agent answered with a matter of fact tone as if everything had already been decided. "I am Dayson Cole, the direct representative of Mr. Strom. We are here to discuss your reassignment to MCAS Miramar so you can help us better understand the ATA gene which you possess so strongly."

Putting on a blank face so his anger would not show, John calmly told them no and manoeuvred past them. Now free of them John entered the transporter booth which closed before the two IOA agents could reach him. Hearing their banging on the doors John pressed the button to the control tower, the silence telling him he was rid of them for the moment.

Exiting the transporter booth in the control tower John walked through the control hub, greeting Chuck who was busy doing something with the Atlantis systems. Walking into the staircase he walked up the metal plates, up to the Jumper bay. Walking through the large room he reached Jumper one, John's favourite Puddle jumper. For some reason, the other Puddle jumpers just would not work as well like this one. Seeing Rodney, Lesya and Ry'tac had taken a seat, with Ry'tac in the front, sitting in John his chair examining the dashboard John greeted them.

"Ry'tac, since you are so interested in examining the Jumper you can keep watch after we have landed. And if you two are lucky, there might be some time after we finish up for you and Lesya to fly the Jumper for a little while. Now please get out of my seat."

With Ry'tac out of the way, John sat down in the now evacuated seat with a grin. He mentally connected to the Jumper, activating all its systems to check they were all in working order. Tapping his earpiece, John contacted Chuck, "Chuck, this is Sheppard. Requesting permission to leave the Jumper bay for our mission to Sosohr."

"This is Chuck, permission granted colonel. Good luck."

"Copy that! Thanks, Chuck, Jumper one now leaving."

With a buzz, John his favourite Jumper rose from its platform and floated into the middle of the bay. As the floor opened to give them access to the Gateroom several floors below them Lesya turned to John.

"So Colonel Sheppard," Lesya asked as the Jumper orientated itself to the gate, "what is the latest on the situation in the Pegasus galaxy?"

Entering the gate address onto the Jumper DHD John drew his brows together, his skin forming many lines. "Of the thirteen Hives, we found hibernating on the surface of a planet or moon, three have gone missing since the last time the Hammond did a fly by. So far our count of encountered unique Hives has risen to fifty-six in the last three years."

Cloaking the Jumper as they came through the wormhole John thought back to the mission briefings.

"Scans show these Hives are all newly grown, likely spurred on by the destruction of other Hives by us. The Wraith likely also lost a lot of Hives during the civil war and when the Aterro device was active. That is the likely reason they are growing so many hives."

Glancing up at the HUD display as they had reached his favoured attitude John mentally gave the command for the Jumper to scan for life signs.

"It is worrisome that so many new Hives have been grown since it increases their firepower. Our scans also show the Hives are controlled by only a small group of Wraith so at least their numbers have not grown. Or have grown little. We can't be sure since we cannot track all their ships yet."

With a small sound, the Ancients apparently found proper for calling attention to the screen the HUD lit up showing six large settlements with thousands of people. The scanners had furthermore detected several hundred smaller settlements ranging from a small thousand to just a few dozen people. John decided that they would start with the biggest settlement of nearly four-thousand people to learn more about Sosohr and the society the people here built. Having decided on their goal and having seen the way they have to walk to reach the large city John landed the Jumper.

Putting on his sunglasses John told his team, "Ry'tac will stay with the Jumper as discussed before. Keep your radio on at all times and be prepared to dial Atlantis in the case of an emergency. Rodney, Lesya, you are with me. Let's go!"

Swiftly the three of them got out of the Jumper, their packs filled with examples of the food and lists of medicine and their properties in preparation for the negotiations. Closing up the ramp with a push of the button John orientated himself and took the lead. He started walking in the direction of the settlement they had spotted from the sky, to the North-East of this planet.


	4. Chapter 4

**2012 August 10**

 **Sosohr**

 **Forest**

It had been nearly three hours since they had left the Jumper behind. After walking through the plains and forests for three hours, the fact this world was inhabited was clearly visible. Part of the forests were wild while others showed signs of being taken care off, likely used to grow and harvest mushrooms and firewood. The last few days of training Rodney to build up his condition to previous levels had at least been successful. John noticed he was not panting like before in an attempt to suck in air, instead walking on, red-faced so not yet there but at least not complaining. Taking out an energy bar of his pocket John took half and tossed the rest to Rodney.

"Thanks, know, that training you put me through really paid off. Jennifer is ecstatic at the improvement to my health as well. Among other things."

"Not a problem buddy," John answered, not trying to think of the other things Rodney had implied. In an attempt to block out those thoughts John thought back to what Teal'c mentioned during their meeting several days ago. Wondering about the troubles the Jaffa's face he wondered out loud, "So Lesya, what kind of problems are Teal'c and Bra'tac facing in the high council?"

Sighing at the memory of what was happening at home Lesya answered with a sorrowful look on her face. "Thanks to the meddling of several Jaffa the amount of voting power within the high council has shifted. It changed from being neutral for each member to depending on your support and the size of your fleet among other things. As a result, the traditional Jaffa can easily outvote masters Teal'c and Bra'tac which has led to a frustrating situation."

"So the traditional Jaffa used an honour less way to gain more power and the rest of the Jaffa were alright with that?" Rodney asked. His curiosity peaked at this slightly irksome situation, as he kept walking forward, trying to keep up with John as he was slowly feeling out of breath.

"The problem is Dr. McKay, that not only the traditional Jaffa were part of this scheme but also Jaffa from our side. It appears many have lost the way of honour. But as a result, we are unable to go against the change as it would also ruin the little amount of power we have left."

Snapping his fingers Rodney interrupted Lesya again, "So that is why they are afraid we are building ships for Teal'c and Bra'tac. They do not want them to get powerful ships which would increase their voting power enormously, considering our tech is way more advanced than anything you got."

"That is correct Dr. McKay," Lesya answered with a small smile. "However, as you know the Tau'ri are not building ships for us. So the only way to increase our fleet is to build new shipyards. Or we take the battle, and conquer ships, from the Lucian alliance which, as you can imagine is not easy."

Frowning Lesya said, "Then there are the other problems. There are many, but the biggest are that the traditional Jaffa do not wish to include rights for humans. Worse, they want to imitate the Goa'uld and enslave humans! So far their fear of the Tau'ri stepping in to protect the humans has stopped them from attempting this. But only because you managed to exterminate the Goa'uld within a decade. This is the biggest threat masters Teal'c and Bra'tac are battling within the High council. Aside that there are also the ideas to take the food required to feed the Jaffa from humans and others which master Bra'tac has managed to stop from being implemented. Yet the traditional Jaffa do not wish to set up programs for the free Jaffa to serve and grow food ourselves. It is a complex situation which might only get worse over time. Does that answer your question Colonel Sheppard?"

Swallowing the last bit of the energy bar he had been chewing on John replied, "It does Lesya. It really has turned into a large mess o-" At the sound of leaves rustling and small branches cracking John immediately went silent, raising his P90. Lesya followed first, Rodney quickly taking his pistol out of its holster and aiming it in the direction of the sounds.

They all moved to the trees so they could easily jump for cover. The leaves rustled again, parting to reveal two men who walked out of the bushes. Sticking out from behind their back were a bow and a large quiver filled with several dozens of arrows.

The two strangers lowered their bows in greeting while staring at the clothes and weapons they had never seen before. "Greetings strangers. Why are you within the hunting forests?"

As the team leader, John took the lead, trying to keep his tone as neutral and friendly as possible. "Hello, I am Colonel John Sheppard. We came through the Stargate to meet with your people, to talk, become friends and hopefully trade."

The strangers looked at each other with a look of confusion before the one on the left seemed to have an idea, "Do you mean the Ring of the Ancestors?"

With a hint of surprise Rodney commented, "That is strange, this is the first time I have heard anyone outside of Pegasus call the Stargate that."

"We will check with the SGC once we are back on Earth if this is the first time. For now, let's talk with these fellows," John answered Rodney, hoping he would take the hint to not interrupt the conversation again.

"Yes, the Ring of the Ancestor," John replied, continuing the conversation with the two men from Sosohr. "We would like to meet with your leader or leaders if possible to learn from each other."

"Very well, it is only a short walk to the settlement where you can meet the Agrue, our Elder, and leader."

With that short statement the two men, who had not even bothered introducing themselves, turned and walked away, leading John, Rodney, and Lesya to the settlement. To Agrue where the negotiations would begin.


	5. Chapter 5

**2012 August 10**

 **Sosohr**

 **Forest**

"Two hours!" Those were the simple thoughts that occupied Rodney's thoughts. It had been two hours since they had met the two hunters. They might not be hostile but they certainly were not friendly either.

The last two hours they had spent walking in the same general direction, through forests and hills. Luckily Rodney knew from the scan the Jumper had shown that there were no mountains in the surrounding area.

However, walking without talking was extremely frustrating. Their guides to the city had not spoken a single word since they had met and left to meet Agrue, the Elder, who they would likely negotiate with. And John had made it clear they were not to speak, as the two guides would likely listen in.

After several minutes they exited another forest but this time, it was not yet another grassland they were entering, there were sounds of civilisation, of other humans. Sheep blaring, people talking, to Rodney's annoyance the sound of playing children. Following the dirt road they had come upon wooden buildings and tents began appearing.

"These must make up the outer layer of the city," Rodney said. Several minutes later he was proven right as the buildings and tents clustered together, forming the streets of a city.

Observing the people, Rodney noted that they were not that technologically advanced so trading would likely be for cultural information. While distracted by the people and their technological level, the team walked onto a square with a small building in the middle. Next to it a small garden with several blue fruits growing in it. The same fruits which they had seen growing in the forests.

One of their cold boring guides walked up to the house and knocked. After waiting for several minutes an old man, who they assumed to be Agrue, came out of the house. As they waited the old man bend over slightly, to allow the man, who guided the team to the city, to inform him of them. Slowly and cautiously moving forward, the old man approached the team, his short beard slightly moving in the cool breeze. Upon reaching John, Rodney, and Lesya he turned to her and with an aged voice introduced himself. "Greetings Lesya, I am Agrue, current Elder of this village. How can we help explorers who came from the Ring of the Ancestors?"

Lesya felt a tad confused at the fact the guides had not made it clear that John is their team leader. Glancing at John, Lesya answered while trying to keep the questioning tone out of her voice. "Hello Agrue. We have come here so that Colonel Sheppard may establish friendly contact and, with good will, negotiate a trade agreement between our two people."

"So you are not the leader of this team Lesya?" Agrue said, confusion plain on his face.

Taking the lead back, John stepped forward and with is friendliest voice said, "She is not, Agrue. In our command structure, I hold the higher rank so I am in command."

"Very well Colonel Sheppard. Let us go inside and confer with each other."

Following Agrue, John, Rodney and Lesya entered the house. It was a cozy home with a pleasant temperature, a lower ceiling they were used too. The room had several bookcases, filled with books which differed in thickness a lot, some of them sticking out a bit bring the bookcase alive. The bookcases themselves were a colourful addition to the room as each cover had a different colour. Agrue mentioned them to sit down around the round table and asked them if they would like some tea. Only Lesya accepted his offer. Agrue disappeared for several minutes before returning to the room with two mugs that gave off a delightful sweet smell.

Soon they were encumbered in conversation. Agrue told the team about the Sosohr history. Thousands of years ago the ring they knew as the Harvest ring activated and people stepped out of the event horizon.

Apparently, Agrue's ancestors had interacted with these people who claimed to be the builders of the ring. They built several small ships and left the planet in search of something. The stories say it was a temple, built in response to their race being threatened by disease.

Raising an eyebrow, Rodney carefully interrupted, "John, those must have been some of the Lanteans who evacuated to Earth after losing the battle against the Wraith. And that temple and disease, that means they were searching for something built long before Atlantis left Earth those millions of years ago!"

"Likely Rodney, we will report it to the SGC once we are back. I am sure Dr. Jackson will love this news." John told Rodney, exasperated that Rodney had interrupted Agrue's story. Before John could ask Agrue to continue Rodney interrupted them again.

"This also explains why their tents look so much like those of the Athosians. It must have been the Lantean influence."

Before John could reprimand Rodney Agrue spoke up with an excited voice, "You know of the Athosians? They were one of the groups mentioned in the old tales."

Taking back the lead, John smiled in memory of their first meeting and told Agrue, "Yes, we have met the Athosians. They are a friendly and welcoming people who met with us and were willing to trade just after meeting us. Aside from their tents looking a lot like the ones you have here in and around this city they also make a great stout tea to enjoy in the morning."

"They sound like interesting people Colonel Sheppard. Would you be willing to connect them with us so we may visit through the Ring of the Ancestors?"

Scratching his head, John said with a sad voice, "Sadly that is not possible Agrue. Their home is on a planet in another galaxy, another sea of stars, which the Stargate can not connect too. You will need a ship to travel to them. However, we do have someone from Athos who is part of my team. I will ask her if she would like to meet with you."

The lines on Agrue's face deepened as he smiled. "That would be a pleasant exchange Colonel Sheppard. One thing we would like to know before discussing trade with you is how you knew the address to our planet?"

"One of the other teams of our home planet was helping the people of P6X-216. You know the planet as Hagwin. In return for our help, they gave us the address for Sosohr. They told us you are peaceful and always open to meeting new people to discuss trade. Which is why we came here."

Furrowing his brow, Agrue thought about what he was told, trying to remember Hagwin.

"Very well Colonel Sheppard, then let me officially welcome you to Sorohr. As for the negotiations, you have come for. We will eat first, enjoy the evening and night. Then we can negotiate tomorrow while well rested!"

After this exclamation, John was slightly agitated. Now this mission would take even longer. Trying to keep a positive outlook on everything he engaged Agrue in conversation, including that they would return home for the night to inform their superiors. Telling Lesya to contact Ry'tac and have him fly the Jumper to about an hour walking distance from the city John lost himself in the tales of the Sosohr.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's notes:**

 **Anthropos Agnostos:** I added a few words about the Wraith. I hope that clarified it a bit better. :)

Enjoy Chapter six!

* * *

 **2012 August 10**

 **Sosohr**

 **Forest**

It had been nearly an hour since they had left Agrue, bidding him farewell after ensuring him that they would return the next day. The sun was already setting, the sky a beautiful bright orange and pink swirling together as John's radio activated and Ry'tac told them they were nearly at his location.

"Anyhow, I should tell you both this right now before we return to Earth. The IOA has been trying to get me transferred to one of their bases to help with experimentation. Which means nothing good. They have no right to do this of course, so if I am gone and they claim I went voluntarily do not believe them for a single second! Ok?"

Surprised the IOA were so brazen Rodney quietly asked John, "So what have they been up to now?"

"They tried to have me transferred by using falsified documents with General Landry. Who of course did not fall for such a scam, but it was only their first step." Sighing, John closed his eyes, wondering how Elizabeth would have solved this dilemma with the IOA.

"Before we left two of their people approached me as well which was quite bold. One of them introduced himself as Dayson Cole, a direct representative of Mr. Strom. So you two, please remember that name."

Curious about this research he had not heard about, Rodney asked John if this Dayson mentioned what kind of research it was they were doing. Wondering what they would need John's help with.

Thinking back to the short exchange John sighed again before answering with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Those men mentioned research to better understand the ATA gene. Since Dr. Becket's research is tightly locked away after testing found they could not improve the rate of success I doubt it has to do with the gene therapy. Most likely they are interested in creating some sort of ATA gene interface. Just like the one the Travelers were making. They probably want to be less reliant on the cooperation of gene holders once they get their sticky hands on some Ancient technology."

Slightly confused at the Earth terms used Lesya asked, "Colonel Sheppard, what do sticky hands mean?"

"Sticky hand is a term for thieves. They steal stuff, as in everything sticks to their hands and disappears in their pockets. Does that make sense Lesya?" John asked the Jaffa, while making a mental note to get a list of idioms and sayings together for her and Ry'tac to read through.

Nodding Lesya thought about it for a moment. "And who are the travelers?" Lesya asked while fastening the strap of her backpack.

Contacting Ry'tac on his radio to ask how far ahead he was John answered Lesya, while waiting for Ry'tac to answer.

"They are a group of nomadic humans who live aboard their spaceships and travel the galaxy, specifically the Pegasus galaxy. Only landing to resupply, trade, or to perform repairs."

Before John could continue in more detail on Larrin and the other people they had met over the years, Ry'tac contacted them.

"I am roughly one minute of walking to your west, Colonel Sheppard."

Turning around to walk west the three members of SG-14 reached a small clearing in which the Jumper immediately de-cloaked. Walking onto the already lowered ramp, John, Rodney and Lesya entered the Jumper.

"So Ry'tac, how was your first experience flying the Jumper," John asked the young Jaffa, curious how talented he was with the Jumper its mental interface.

Excited to share his first flight Ry'tac quickly turned the chair to face the three of them.

"It was incredible Colonel Sheppard! The mental interface works fluently and swiftly, responding to commands incredibly quick. It did take me a few minutes to activate the flight system at first, but I still feel connected. My best guess would be that the Jumper needs to get used to someone who is connecting for the first time, creating some sort of profile of their mental responses."

Taking over the pilot's seat John connected to his favorite Jumper, feeling the slightly stronger connection it had formed with Ry'tac and the weak connections to Rodney and Lesya. Before they had left the connections for all three of them had been weak.

"So gaining experience flying the Jumper does strengthen one's bond with the mental interface," thought John.

Wanting to get home quickly John swiftly pulled up and send the Jumper off into space. While he enjoyed the smooth ride the Jumper offered, John did in a way miss the G's he would pull in a normal plane. Detecting the Stargate John aimed the jumper down and after just a few minutes of flying, they had reached the Stargate which John ordered Ry'tac to dial. They had to wait a few seconds for confirmation of the IDC code to come from the Atlantis SGC, the little device beeping and showing an "All clear" message.

Being given the command to fly through the Stargate, the mental interface took over control to smoothly guide the Jumper through the Stargate into the Atlantis Gateroom. There it checked if the pilot wanted control back. Receiving a negative from John the control system guided the Jumper up to the Jumper bay. Upon arrival it gave back control to John so he could park the Jumper in one of the free docking slots.

Giving the command for the ramp to be lowered, after landing, John stood up and together with his three team members exited the Jumper. Already mentally preparing for the debriefing, while walking. Taking the stairs down to the Gateroom, Rodney asked Ry'tac what he thought of the Jumper its dashboard. Ry'tac exploring the Jumper its systems was the reason John had chosen him to stay behind with the Jumper, after all.

"It is quite the ingenious design Dr. McKay. Splitting up the controls in the three groups of physical buttons, the mental interface and directly controlling the crystals makes it an incredibly robust system as long there is power."

"I know that all too well Ry'tac. Did you know I was once in a Jumper that crash landed into the ocean which then lost power? Luckily I am me, so I was able to restart the systems-"

John coughed and spoke up, interrupting Rodney. "Actually, you did not lose power according to the Jumper logs that the Hammond recovered after beating the Jumper into their hold. Seems that hit to your head influenced your memories more than we thought."

Slightly embarrassed by this new knowledge Rodney's cheeks turned a slight pink before he continued, "Really? Well, even so, I still know how to jump start the power supply as long the supply lines are not completely broken."

"That is amazing Dr. McKay," Ry'tac answered, trying to get on his good side, "Would you be willing to teach me how to jump start the power systems next week?"

Stumbling over the compliment, which led Ry'tac know he was on the right track to manipulating Rodney, the flustered scientist answered with a slight stutter, "Ama-, amazing right. Since you obviously have a bright mind, I will see if I can find an empty spot on my calendar Ry'tac."

The conversation reached a lull, as the four of them walked into the Gateroom and turned to walk up the stairs to enter the Conference room through its automatic doors. To their surprise they were not met by general Landry, but by Mr. Woolsey.

While Mr. Woolsey had been strongly disliked in the past, he had grown on most of the SG personnel. His time leading the Atlantis expedition and learning more about what it's like to be out there has helped him become more understanding and gain more experience.

As a result of this experience he now understood that sometimes situations come up where protocol could not be followed. Which was something, most SG personnel thought, his colleagues at the IOA could learn from.

"Good evening Colonel Sheppard, Dr. McKay, Lesya and Ry'tac. It is nice to be back again after spending half a year at the IOA. The concrete buildings just do not give off such a sense of freedom and beauty like Atlantis does. Please sit down. I am looking forward to your report on these alleged peaceful people."

Walking around the large mahogany table, Woolsey was responsible for, John sat down with a question in mind. "It is a pleasure to see you again Mr. Woolsey but why are you here, instead of general Landry?"

"Ah, general Landry has been summoned by general O'Neill for a meeting at Homeworld Command which will last a few days. Since this mission requires you to return the next day General Landry asked me to take care of this mission briefing. So did you find anything of interest to trade?"

"From observations, they are a less developed people yet they also appear to have a lot of knowledge on something indicated by the amount of books Agrue had. He is the elder who spoke on behalf of the people. Then there is the fact they call the Stargate the Ring of the Ancestors like the people from Pegasus. We would like a check to be run if any other worlds call the Stargate by that name because it struck is as odd at first."

Waiting a moment for Mr. Woolsey to make a note John waited. Noting he had finished writing down the information, John continued.

"During out conversation with Agrue we came across an interesting tale. He explained that the stories told of Sosohr history included tales of several humans who came through the Stargate. We concluded these were several of the Lanteans who evacuated to Earth after losing the battle against the Wraith. They came to Sosohr, and built several small ships to go somewhere. The stories tell they were looking for a temple the Ancients built during the plague, before they left for Pegasus. Our most educated guess it that the stories refer to a space station, built by the Ancients, which would like to be a treasure trove of now, we were invited to negotiations which are to happen tomorrow. If that was all Mr. Woolsey we would like to go to our quarters. To shower and sleep."

Scribbling down the notes Mr. Woolsey spent a few minutes in silence before replying.

"That is good news Colonel. I will see if I can get Dr. Jackson involved to meet with these people and get those stories written down and mined for information. For now please report to the infirmary for a short check after which you can consider yourself free to do whatever you wish to do this evening." Wishing them a good night Mr. Woolsey closed his folder and walked away, leaving the team alone in the Conference room.

Wishing to get the medical checkup over with, John stood up and walked out of the Conference room. Strolling through the hallways he closed in on the infirmary, his team following. To his surprise, the four of them were met in the infirmary by Teyla and Ronon.

"Hi Teyla, Ronon. How did your meeting with the IOA go?" John said to them, grinning until Dr. Becket came out of his office.

"Good evening lads! What can I do for you?"

"Evening Carson. Just a post mission checkup for Lesya, Ry'tac, McKay, and me please."

"Some blood tests then. We should be done here in a few minutes then, John," Carson said, happy to help his friends.

Patiently waiting for Carson to start his treatment Teyla smiled as well, answering John's question in her calm tone. "Good evening John. As expected the meeting was tedious. They made us wait quite a while before actually seeing us. after which they barely listened to us. Hopefully, they will follow our proposal for a more permanent base in Pegasus to help the people fight against the Wraith. My hope of this succeeding is low though. Mr. Woolsey has offered to put some pressure on the IOA member. Maybe this will help the decision swing towards accepting this idea so I am looking forward to their reply. Meanwhile, Ronon and I were thinking of what to do if they do not approve of the base."

John winced at Dr. Becket's slap on the wrist, for avoiding the needle by accident. Taking deep breaths so the blood would flow out John replied.

"So it went badly. Since you are free again will you two be joining us tomorrow with this trade mission to Sosohr? Ten thousand years ago the Lanteans visited the planet, and the Elder there, Agrue, would like to meet you to learn more about the Athosians."

Stepping aside so Dr. Becket could walk past her to his office Teyla responded. "I would be pleased to join you, Rodney and our new recruits on the mission tomorrow, John. It will be a refreshing experience to meet Agrue and exchange some stories about both our people, to teach him about the Athosians. However, right now I have to pick up Torren."

Wishing everyone a good night Teyla left to pick up Torren. Walking back into the infirmary Dr. Becket asked John where Teyla had gone as he had a question for her.. Explaining that Teyla had gone to pick up Torren, Becket took the blood he had taken and walked back into his office, preparing the tests.

Having been checked out by Dr. Becket, John and Ronon left the infirmary together to discuss something before going to bed. At the same time Rodney left for his lab to check on some of the projects, he had set his underlings to work on. Meanwhile, Lesya and Ry'tac left for an evening sparring sessions before going to bed as well.


	7. Chapter 7

**2012 August 11**

 **Earth**

 **Atlantis**

It was a nice morning, the sun shining down brightly creating a pleasant warmth. Teyla had found an emergency babysitter, who would take care of Torren as she was gone for the mission, in one of the sergeants. He did not mind babysitting Torren as it essentially gave him a free day, outside of course watching Torren.

She and Ronon were walking through a large corridor in the lower section of Atlantis with a nice view of the ocean. While Earth was superior in some aspects, Teyla did miss seeing two moons in the evening. Relaxing after her morning sparring session with Ronon, Teyla wiped some drips of water from her brow. Having just finished her morning shower, she wondered about the people from Sosohr, while getting dressed.

Why would the Ancestors visit them after abandoning Pegasus to the Wraith? It made no sense to her. If the Ancestors were off well enough to build ships here in the Milky way, then why did they never return. Why did the Ancestors never regroup and return to protect the people of the Pegasus galaxy.

Entering the staircase near the bottom of the control tower, Ronon spoke up. A hint of curiosity clear in his voice, as he stepped aside to let Teyla walk up the stairs. "So what do you think of those Jaffa fighting styles Lesya and Ry'tac use? They are called Lok'nel and Mastaba right?"

"Those are their names, Ronon," Teyla confirmed with a short nod, a grin appearing as she thought back to a past event. "They are interesting fighting styles, though I do remember Teal'c using different techniques when he sparred with you before Samantha broke up the session. Maybe he just got lost in the fight like you did."

Walking up several floors in silence, Ronon eventually thought up a reply. "He did seem to lose control for a little while during our match. I guess he really wanted to win," snickered Ronon. Silence returning as their conversation came to a halt Ronon and Teyla climbed the stairs up to the top. Without the conversation going Teyla quickly returned to her thoughts.

First she made a mental note to later ask Daniel to keep her informed on his research into the Lanteans who visited Sosohr. He would likely start his research in a few days to weeks. Feeling sure she would not forget, Teyla's thoughts switched to the Jaffa fighting techniques.

While Lok'nel was well balanced in both defensive and offensive moves Mastaba was extremely focused on using the lower body in offensive moves. Maybe that is why Teal'c did not like it since it would leave the user open to being wounded.

Having reached the floor on which the Gateroom was located, Ronon gave Teyla a soft push to her shoulder to pull her out of her thoughts. Once more focusing on her surroundings Teyla noticed she had to move out of the way to allow an MALP to pass by them. Moving to the side of the hallway Teyla and Ronon walked into the Gateroom and walked up the stairs.

Reaching the top of the staircase, Teyla and Ronon could see Mr. Woolsey in general Landry his office arguing with a man, they confirmed neither knew. This stranger had short black hair, wearing glasses and was also wearing a suit. Thinking about it Teyla thought he looked a lot like what she imagined a younger Richard to look like.

While waiting for Richard to finish his argument so they could begin with the briefing, Ronon turned to Teyla. In what was, for him, a quiet voice Ronon asked her, "Do you have any idea what they might be talking about?"

Whispering in a voice that was actually quiet, Teyla replied, "I still have not learned to lipread Ronon."

Hearing footsteps coming from the Conference room, the two of them turned around to see a man walking towards them in one of the Earth military uniforms. With a sharp jaw and a military haircut he looked like any soldier. Seeing that Teyla and Ronon assumed the man was a sergeant, who had prepared the Conference room for their briefing and was now leaving.

Turning back to the commander's office, Teyla and Ronon started observing the two men arguing once more. Still keeping track of the surroundings, they thought nothing of it when the footsteps stopped behind them. They assumed the sergeant was just checking his clipboard or tablet before going down the stairs.

Teyla was startled when the sergeant coughed. Turning around with Ronon Teyla looked at the man before them. Noticing the scars near his left ear Teyla wondered what happened there before asking him, "What can we help you with, Sergeant?"

The sergeant his face contorted in an expression of annoyance, as with a cold voice he stated, "I am Colonel Giles, Teyla. You must be Ronon. It is a pleasure to meet the both of you. I will be replacing Colonel Sheppard as your new team leader."

Teyla opened her mouth, shock written over her face. Before she could say anything Ronon spoke, anger in his voice. "And where did Sheppard go? Giles."

"That is Colonel Giles to you Ronon. And I do not know. I was assigned to SG-14 this morning and told everything would be explained during the briefing with Mr. Woolsey."

Disbelieving his story about replacing John, Teyla knew they would not get an answer out of this man. She mentioned Ronon to follow her to stop his anger at this new Colonel from building up. As they walked over to the Conference room they were followed by Colonel Giles. Sitting down on the opposite side of the table the three of them sat in silence waiting for Mr. Woolsey as Ronon stared at the new colonel in anger.

Meanwhile, Teyla waited patiently. Without talking she mentioned to the rest of SG-14 to sit down as they arrived one by one. The room remaining silent as Rodney, Lesya and Ry'tac now and again glanced at the man they had never met before, while waiting for Mr. Woolsey.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **2012 August 11**

 **Earth**

 **Atlantis, Control tower**

Ten long minutes had passed in silence before they could hear the door to General Landry's office open. With swift footsteps, Mr. Woolsey walked over to the control area and had a short chat with Chuck which the team was unable to overhear. Seemingly content Mr. Woolsey gave chuck a curt nod and walked over to the Conference room. Upon entering he gave Colonel Giles a quick glance before moving on to the head of the table. With the automatic doors now closed Woolsey sat down in silence, the noises from the control area completely blocked out.

Starting off the briefing, Mr. Woolsey spoke with a hoarse voice, indicative of the long argument that had just happened. "Good morning everyone, I see that you have already met Colonel Konner Giles."

Looking at the man in question, Mr. Woolsey continued, his hoarse voice clearing up a little bit. "Colonel Konner Giles will temporarily take command of SG-14 due to Colonel Sheppard's absence. According to my colleague from the IOA, Dayson Cole, Colonel Sheppard has agreed to a voluntary transfer to an IOA base. There he will be helping the scientists with the experiments on how to better understand the ATA gene."

Opening his folder, Mr. Woolsey frowned. Reading through the file, it appeared the people from Sosohr did not have much to offer so the trade deal if an agreement could be reached, would be a formality. The cultural exchange would make up the larger part of the relationship. Not that Dr Jackson or the people from his department would mind. "Colonel Sheppard mentioned there were a lot of books. How many were there?"

Speaking up, Lesya answered frowning about the news over Colonel Sheppard's so called transfer, and his replacement, this Colonel Giles who gave off a dislikeable aura. "From what we have seen of the house Mr. Woolsey, there are at least four bookcases. This likely means Agrue has at least several hundred books, possibly closing in on a thousand if he has more bookcases in his house."

Making a note in his file, Mr. Woolsey narrowed his vision on Colonel Giles. "Your main objective will be to negotiate for access to the books with permission to copy them, with a focus on their medical knowledge. If possible you are also to gain several samples of their medicine or medical plants. Now Lesya, was there anything else you observed?"

Taking a minute to think back to their meeting yesterday, Lesya mentally made a list of things that she thought were important. "They were primitive and some of them seemed to not trust us. Especially the two men who we met in the forest. If it was aimed at us specifically or a distrust towards strangers, in general, is unknown. Aside from appearing to be a peaceful people, there was the tea Agrue served. After drinking it I felt relaxed as if it was a weak sedative."

Zeroing in on Lesya's statement, Mr. Woolsey asked her with a twinkle in his eye, "You say as a sedative. From experience we know Jaffa need more sedative for it to work to capacity, thanks to your metabolism."

Writing down more notes in the mission file, Mr. Woolsey gave Colonel Giles a command, while looking down at the file. "Colonel Giles, the plant that was used to make that tea is now your number one objective to obtain through the negotiations. You are all dismissed to prepare for the mission."

Standing up and saluting, Colonel Giles swiftly left the Conference room without the rest of SG-14, which struck a bad chord with them all. Turning back to Mr. Woolsey, Teyla asked him, worry clear on her face, "Richard, is that really all the information you have on John's whereabouts?"

Looking up from his file Mr. Woolsey answered with a stronger voice, no longer hoarse, "Sadly it is all I know. However, Colonel Sheppard does not seem like the type to me who voluntarily goes to an IOA base so I will be contacting Generals Landry and O'Neill with this news. Hopefully, they will be able to help get him back to Atlantis. For now, you five should prepare for your mission. Make sure to keep an eye on the colonel. I have been unable to determine if he is just another colonel or an IOA plant. Either way, he seems like the type to do something during the mission which might harm our relationship with the people from Sosohr."

Saying something for the first time, since meeting his new commander Ronon spoke up. "If he does something can I shoot him?"

Answering with a chuckle, Mr. Woolsey said, "As long your weapon is set to stun. In such a case we will need him alive to interrogate him. And before you ask, yes I will make sure you get a turn as well."

Content with Mr. Woolsey's permission Ronon left with a grin spreading across his face as he imagined how to interrogate this Giles person if given the chance. Deep in thought Ronon walked off to go back to his quarters to sharpen his sword in case he needed it.

Knowing it was information that needed to be shared, Lesya spoke up. "While Ronon is already gone, this information needs to be shared immediately. We all already know Colonel Sheppard would not go with the IOA voluntarily. This can be confirmed by the IOA approaching General Landry earlier this week. And yesterday Colonel Sheppard before he arrived at the Jumper bay for the mission. Mr. Woolsey, while we can not help you right now, please note down that the person who approached the both of them is named Dayson Cole. A man who called himself the direct representative of Mr. Strom."

Thanking Lesya for sharing the information, Mr. Woolsey wrote down the names and left the Conference room. Exiting he made a beeline for General Landry's office to make contact with him and General O'Neill regarding this situation. With the briefing over Teyla, Rodney, Lesya, and Ry'tac left for the armoury to prepare for the mission ahead.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's notes:**

 **Anthropos Agnostos:** The IOA began as a council made up of civilians from all countries involved with the Stargate Program so the military would no longer be in control. Based on the idea that the civilian government, elected by the people, is in control of the military. Which was previously not possible with the Stargate Program due to its secrecy. The main goal of the creation of this council was continued funding for the Stargate Program.

At first they stuck to overseeing, then they began making decisions. The first I can remember would be when they interfered with Khalek. (The human-Goa'uld hybrid made by Anubis who was on a path to Ascension) The other two I remember are when they interfered with Daniel when he had Merlin's memories (and looked like a prior) and when they appointed Richard Woolsey as the commander of Atlantis.

The personnel on Atlantis is made up out of military and civilian personnel from all the countries who are represented on the IOA council. But technically the person in command of Atlantis is well, in command since they can only check in every week. (Since season 2 I believe.)

So in a way everything to do with the Stargate Program is tied to the IOA but not directly. And they are shady, and quite controlling from my point of view. Wishing to take over the program, appoint control of missions. The mission to the Ori galaxy in the movie springs to mind. In which they also screwed over the crew by releasing replicators...

I hope this explains things. :)

Enjoy reading chapter nine!

* * *

 **2012 August 11**

 **Earth**

 **Atlantis**

Coming out of the armoury, Teyla, Rodney, Lesya and Ry'tac walked into the hallway. Enjoying their view of the ocean, they slowly walked through the corridor until they reached the transporter booth. Stopping by the booth as it automatically opened, Teyla turned around asking, "Who will watch the new colonel?"

Putting a hand to her chin, thinking of everyone their abilities Lesya answered. "Rodney is not good at keeping watch so we will have to split the job between you, me, Ry'tac and Ronon. Though we should make Ronon watch him while Colonel Riles is in public. Leaving them alone, with no one watching seems… Unwise at best."

Taking a moment to think, Teyla told them the plan she had thought up. "I will stay with Ronon while you and Ry'tac form a team. We will watch him while he is in public while the two of you can follow him when he walks off to someplace out of sight. Make sure to turn the sound on your radio to a lower loudness so you are not overheard in case we contact you when you follow the colonel." Walking into the transporter booth, Teyla ended their impromptu meeting with, "Let's go."

Walking out into the Gateroom while whispering, the team went quiet upon seeing Colonel Giles standing in the hub of the city, the control area. Quietly agreeing that Ry'tac would take Ronon apart and inform him of the plan the four waited for Ronon to appear and Colonel Giles to come down. Silently waiting several minutes in annoyance at this horrible split arrival the four members of SG-14 relaxed when Ronon appeared from the hallway. He probably had taken the staircase instead of the transporter booth.

With his arrival, Colonel Giles bend over to Chuck, whispering something in his ear, after which he came down the staircase. Before he could make it down two steps the door to General Landry's office opened, revealing Mr. Woolsey. Walking out onto the bridge connecting the office and the control area, he looked down and called Teyla up.

Crossing each other on the staircase, Teyla and Colonel Giles glanced at each other. A pang of anger swelled up into an inferno at seeing the man smirking at her. A suspicion budding, Teyla was beginning to think he knew what had happened to John. Reaching the bridge where was waiting, she smiled.

Mentioning her inside, Mr. Woolsey waited for Teyla to enter. As Teyla sat down in one of the chairs Mr. Woolsey walked into the office and sat down opposite her. Opening the conversation with a sullen tone, Mr. Woolsey said, "I am sorry to inform you that the IOA has made a decision on your and Ronon's request."

Having had the non-pleasure of meeting the IOA council, Teyla predicted what the man sitting opposite her would say next. Another pang of annoyance going through her, even finding its way into her voice. "They decided not to build a permanent in the Pegasus galaxy."

Sighing, Mr. Woolsey leaned back. "That is correct. The IOA has decided that they will continue to send the Hammond for two expeditions per year and will review the decision on building a permanent base in two years." Leaning forward and taking a deep breath, he continued, still sad at the decision his colleagues had made. "Knowing the council, they will at that point likely make the same decision. I am sorry that we were unable to get them to agree and send more help to Pegasus Teyla."

"You do not need to apologise Richard. Your colleagues should at letting all those innocent people die when they could help. Thank you for informing me of this development so quickly."

As Teyla was about to stand up from the chair to go back to the team Mr. Woolsey spoke up, mentioning with his hands she could remain seated.

"And Teyla, please wait to inform Ronon about this until after the mission. He seems a tad unstable with his anger towards Colonel Giles and I do not want to risk him taking it out on the colonel. And one last thing before you can go, will you be keeping an eye on him?"

With the conversation the four of them had had before using the transporter booth still fresh on her mind Teyla answered, her eyes twinkling, "Yes we will. We have discussed it and decided that we will split into two observation teams. Ronon and I will form a team while Lesya will form a team with Ry'tac. Ronon and I will keep track of Colonel Giles while in public as we do not want to risk trouble. Which will likely happen if Ronon and the colonel go where no one is present to witness them. So when he tries to go somewhere private without people Lesya and Ry'tac will watch him."

Lifting a corner of his mouth in amusement, Mr. Woolsey answered, entertainment clear in his voice, "Very well then. One last thing before you can go Teyla. General O'Neill has called back to inform me he and General Landry are looking into the situation and will do everything in their power to get John back to Atlantis."

Smiling Teyla answered, the annoyance she had felt at the situation and Colonel Giles growing smaller. "Thank you. Before I leave there is one last thing. Just now while passing each other on the staircase Colonel Giles smirked at me. And while it could many things I have a strong suspicion he was somehow involved with John's disappearance."

"I will keep that in mind Teyla. And I will inform General Landry and O'Neill of your observation."

Putting her hands together in thought for a moment, Teyla stood up and before turning to leave said, "Thank you for informing me. Have a pleasant day."

"You as well," Mr. Woolsey said as Teyla walked out of the office.

Walking down the staircase towards the rest of SG-14, Teyla felt less negative, even though the situation with the IOA and with John both deserved some anxiety and anger. Reaching her teammates and their new team leader in front of the Stargate, Teyla stopped.

Coughing, Colonel Giles caught her attention. "So are you finally ready Teyla," The colonel asked in a demeaning tone.

Answering with a positive, Teyla moved over to Ronon to both stop the colonel from aggravating the team further while at the same time stopping Ronon from insulting the man. Mentioning Ronon to follow her, Teyla walked forward, the rest of the team following her, into the staircase, walking up to the Jumper bay. Walking into the Jumper bay, Colonel Giles suddenly sprinted forward, his attempt at taking the lead.

He led the way to Jumper one, John's Jumper, and took the pilot seat confirming that he had the ATA gene. Starting the engines and Jumper systems, before the rest of SG-14 had even entered the Jumper annoyance grey in everyone.

Raising the ramp as Ry'tac still had a foot on it, Colonel Giles caused the Jaffa to stumble forward into the Jumper. As the automated system took control SG-14 in Jumper one lowered into the Gateroom and flew out towards Sosohr through the activated Stargate.


	10. Chapter 10

**2012 August 11**

 **Earth**

 **Atlantis, Jumper bay**

With Colonel Giles sitting in the pilot's seat, taking up John's space, the rest of the team was quiet. Distrustful of the man no one spoke, Ronon even sat in the rear section, trying to stay as far away as he could from Colonel Giles within the enclosed space. Coughing Ry'tac tried to break the silence. "Teyla, what did Mr. Woolsey wish to talk to you about?"

"Richard wanted to inform me the IOA council is meeting today so we will likely learn if mine and Ronon's request will be accepted. A permanent base in the Pegasus galaxy would be a great help to saving lives and ensuring a strong offensive against the Wraith."

Lifting an eyebrow, Lesya aimed a question at Ronon. "Do you have any plans if the request is accepted Ronon?"

Grunting Ronon glared at Lesya, the message clear.

Frowning Lesya turned back to Teyla. "No plans then. Teyla would this base also mean one of the X-304's will be permanently present in the Pegasus galaxy?"

"Permanently basing one X-304 in Pegasus is indeed part of our proposal. However, knowing the IOA and their initials reactions to our proposal I have a strong sense they will either accept a watered down version. Or even worse, they will deny the proposal in its entirety. Which is why I have been thinking about returning to Pegasus on my own."

Speaking up for the first time in several hours, Ronon softly spoke. "If you go back, I'll come with you Teyla."

Grimacing at the team potentially falling apart, Rodney spoke next. "If you are going back, you should at least take some things I have been working on with you. One is a special loading mechanism which can recharge your magnum its cells ten times as fast as they currently load with the gate powered device you got now."

Turning to the scientist, Ronon's face softened as he thanked Rodney. Turning back to watch Colonel Giles, his face swiftly hardened again, his anger clear.

Thinking of the situation in Pegasus, Rodney turned to Teyla. "One thing I have been working on is a version of the Lantean personal shield. Instead of creating a person shield, this version creates a temporary bubble to protect whoever is inside it. If you want, I can focus on it so you have some protection if you do decide to go back to Pegasus. Then again, a subspace communication setup so you can contact the Travelers, might also be useful to include." Rodney thought out loud. Continuing his rambling, Rodney kept whispering about all the potential tech Teyla and Ronon could take with them. If only to increase their chances of survival for these two incredible survivalists even likelier.

"We have arrived and are landing," Giles announced out of nowhere. Walking into the rear section, Teyla, Ronon, Lesya and Rodney put on their bags and armed themselves in preparation. Looking around at the five of them, Giles spoke up. "Ry'tac, why are you not preparing?"

Speaking up with a raised eyebrow, a habit he had picked up from Master Teal'c, Ry'tac answered. "Should someone not stay behind to watch the Jumper and to fly it to the team in case there is a need for evacuation? … Sir."

Giles answered with a condescending voice, "These people are extremely primitive. Our weapons will be enough to defend ourselves with in case we need to retreat to the Jumper. Now arm yourself."

Leaving behind Ry'tac, Colonel Giles exited the Jumper, barking out a short order for the others to follow him. The sound of the Jumper's ramp closing could be heard seconds later as Ry'tac jogged towards the group. Speaking up with a steady voice as they walked, Colonel Giles made a statement to the team. "We are roughly one click away from the city, so due to Dr. McKay's slow pace we should arrive in ten to fifteen minutes. Move out."

Walking out of the forest, the six of them covered ground fast. Colonel Giles had, to the team their surprise, parked the Jumper near the edge of a forest allowing them to clear the trees in only a minute. Walking over the grassy lands, the six of them remained silent. Walking at the rear were Ry'tac and Ronon. Thinking about his task, Ry'tac guessed he would not gain the possibility of telling Ronon about their plan while in the city without being overheard. Needing to create a situation in which he could tell Ronon, Ry'tac tugged on Ronon's sleeve, mentioning to him to walk slower. After exchanging several quick whispers Ronon nodded and regained his former pace, retaking his spot at the rear of their party, Ry'tac following not far behind.

Only minutes later, they reached the area where buildings and tents were present, indicating they had reached the outer section of the city. Following the first road, the team walked forward at a steady pace, the number of people and starts increasing. Teyla, Ronon, Lesya, Rodney and Ry'tac did not mind the stares at all, but the few glimpses they could catch of Colonel Giles' face showed them he did mind. Lines sharp on his face which was stuck in a look of annoyance

Teyla hoped he would soon relax for the negotiations to be a success. At least the had something to report to Richard or general Landry once they returned to use against Colonel Giles.

Entering through one of the many gates, the team entered the inner city where houses and tents stood side to side. Observing the people from the city, Teyla noted the similarities to her people and their tents which had been mentioned to her the day before. Walking through the city, they could see the wonder on Ry'tac's face. Curious about this Teyla asked him about it. Looking at her, sorrow flashed on his face before returning to wonder.

"When Master Teal'c found me and took me in for training I was alone, with my parents killed by the Goa'uld years before for Master Teal'c' rebellion. Until then I had only lived in a small farm town, which supported the larger city where the false god lived. After being taken in by Master Teal'c, I was taken to the mountains of Chulak to be trained there. So this is my first time, within an actually large city if we don't count Atlantis. Which feels more like a ship to me than a city, sorta reminding me of the Ha'tak I've been on."

While curious about his past, Teyla had to halt the conversation as they had reached the square. It was filled with smaller tents and a dense group of people. Upon their arrival, a whisper went through the crowd and a minute later the door to Agrue's house opened. Walking towards them at a slow pace, his eyes switched between each of the new team members, interested in why the team had doubled in size for the negotiations. Stopping in front of them Agrue greeted them in his croaky voice, "Welcome back Lesya, Rodney. Who are all these new people?"

Smiling at the friendly Elder Lesya answered, "This man here is-" Before Lesya could introduce Ry'tac Colonel Giles interrupted her.

"The man with the symbol on his forehead is Ry'tac. The large man is Ronon and the woman next to him is Teyla. I'm Colonel Konner Giles. It is a pleasure meeting you Agrue," Giles said no interest or pleasure to be found in his voice.

Agrue's smile disappeared at this show of disrespect for Lesya, only reappearing as he looked at Teyla. "Ah Teyla, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm looking forward to exchanging stories of our people."

Teyla answered with a twinkle in her eye at hearing new stories of the Ancestors answered, "Thank you for your welcome Agrue. It will be a pleasure to exchange those tales."

Turning around Agrue near whispered, "Well, let's go in and start these negotiations then, shall we."


	11. Chapter 11

Author's notes:

Anthropos Agnostos: Thank you for the feedback. :) That means I have to work on my character introduction. Though the confusion makes sense as the name Ry'tac was inspired by Rya'c.

* * *

 **2012 August 11**

 **Sosohr**

Entering the small house Agrue lived in was SG-14. Lesya and Rodney went for the table to sit down in the same spot they had sat in the last time they were there. Looking around, Colonel Giles showed disappointment on his face, apparently not impressed with the house and amount of books in the bookcases.

Telling them to sit down around the table, Agrue disappeared into another room, returns with several scrolls filling up his arms. Putting them down on the table a puff of dust came up from them as Agrue sat down. "In the interest of being clear of mind there will be no tea. Not until after we have agreed to terms," Agrue said with a calm tone while staring at Colonel Giles.

Opening a scroll that turned out to be empty, Agrue took out a pencil out of his pocket. Writing down what turned out to be their names, he opened the negotiations. "So first off all, how many people are there on Earth? We would like to know to what capacity you can use goods. We estimate we number somewhere around three hundred thousand in total though a precise number has not been known for thousands of years."

Coughing, Giles was silent for a few seconds before answering. "We are with, eh. Well, we also are not sure with how many we exactly are but the rough estimate is somewhere between seven and eight billion people. The latest estimate being seven point four billion."

With that answer the scratching of pencil on paper stopped and Agrue looked up at Colonel Giles. "We are not familiar with the word billion. How many zeros does it add?"

A tad flustered at the massive imbalance in total population Colonel Giles continued. "That would be nine zeros Agrue."

Agrue stared at the six of them for a minute before gathering himself and writing down the number on the scroll which slowly started to fill up. "That is an impressive number Colonel Giles," Agrue said silently, "Of course you understand we would be unable to fulfil such a large demand."

"That is alright Agrue." Colonel Giles answered with a sly grin. "Our trade missions are aimed at ensuring the survivability of our smaller bases so we don't have to rely on Earth in case we lose contact with her. As for what you have to offer, we are interested in the herbs, plants and fruits you use. Just now you for example mentioned the tea is special and could not be drunk if you wish to negotiate with a clear mind. More specifically, we wish to know what kind of medicine you make and use."

Opening one of the scrolls he had brought with him, Agrue took a moment to read the information before answering Colonel Giles' question. "We have made medicine out of many herbs and fruits. We farm many different kinds of herbs and fruits from the surrounding forests which are used to create at least several hundred kinds of medicine. For example the tea Lesya drank yesterday. It is made from a combination of some herbs from the forest and the fruit that I grow in the garden next to this house. Those who drink it often find they get sick less often. And it has a pleasurable effect for a couple of dozen minutes after drinking it before your head clears up."

Perking up at this information, Rodney mentally made a note to tell Carson and Jennifer about this tea. They would certainly be interested in a medicine that apparently makes the immune system stronger like Tretonin. A medicine that would not create a dependency, at least according to the knowledge of the Sosohr. Taking in their looks, Agrue continued the explanation.

"Some of the people stop drinking it later in life because they never liked the taste. Some of the people who have never drunken it, take it at random intervals as they become elderly for a slight boost against sickness."

As Agrue finished his explanation, Colonel Giles wrote down his offers and the information he had shared. "In return for the things you can trade I've been authorised to offer food from Earth and the possibility of a cultural exchange between our people. Furthermore, I've also been authorised to offer you an introduction to medicine from Earth. In return, we at least want samples of as many kinds of your medicine as possible so we can research how they work and possibly find new purposes for them."

Writing down some notes before putting down his pencil, Agrue stared Colonel Giles into his eyes. "We will gladly accept the food and cultural exchange but we have no use for your Earth medicine. For thousands of years, our medicine has been enough to stay healthy for our entire lives, no illness remaining uncured though it does sometimes take longer."

Wrinkles deepening on his face Colonel Giles stated his acceptance to the items they spoke of.

"Very well then, Agrue. How many of your herbs and fruits can we take back with us?"

Scratching down some notes, Agrue answered while staring at his other notes, "We can give you fifty kind of herbs and fruits to research and learn from. In return, there will be the cultural exchange which will include some of your doctors. They will take a look at the people who suffer from a stronger disease. Hopefully they will have the knowledge on how to cure these people faster. I'm also looking forward to some of your Earth food which you mentioned."

Raising his eyebrow, Colonel Giles lowered his voice in response. "I would have to discuss this with my superiors first then."

Speaking up against that statement, Rodney said, "You don't. Carson and Jennifer would gladly come and help Agrue and his people."

"Then we have agreed upon terms." Agrue stated, writing down the names of two doctors Rodney had just named. "It was a pleasure drafting this trade agreement with you all. I'm looking forward to including the food from Earth into our celebrations. Speaking of, we should go outside. It is now time to celebrate this new trade agreement!"

Finished, Agrue stood up to put the scrolls back into the room he had taken them from, leaving the team behind for a minute before returning. Opening the door, Agrue waved them over to exit the house first onto the square where celebrations had already begun.


	12. Chapter 12

**2012 August 11**

 **Sosohr City square**

Watching Ry'tac, Lesya, and Rodney dance with the villagers, if you could call what Rodney was doing dancing, Teyla sipped the tea served by the Sosohr. Fruity and sweet it caused peace to overcome her mind. Glancing to the west side of the square, she spotted Colonel Giles stalking the villagers as if he was waiting for some opportunity to arise. Finally feeling hungry, and having had enough fun in his attempt to dance, Rodney walked over to Teyla and Ronon and went straight past them to the table with food.

Returning several minutes later with a large plate in his hand, a wide selection of food on it, Rodney went to stand in between Teyla and Ronon. Swallowing the fruit-flavoured tender meat Rodney turned to Teyla and asked while smacking his lips, "And where is our new colonel?"

Glancing to the west, spotting Colonel Giles within a second, Teyla answered, slightly annoyed by the sounds Rodney was making, "Colonel Giles has been circling the celebrations the entire evening. I assume he wants to do something and is looking for an opportunity to do what it is he has planned. Ronon and I are currently tracking him on the west side of the square, just outside of the celebrations."

Lowering his hand instead of grabbing another piece of food from his plate, Rodney blinked and thought on what to say. "Ok, are you two having fun with the celebrations? I thought you would be talking with Agrue about the Athosians."

Staring at the crowd, Teyla again failed to find Agrue. "I have not yet had the chance to talk with Agrue, but I will once I find him."

Thinking for a few seconds her thoughts turned to the denial of their request for the permanent base. Her thoughts straying to potentially going back to Pegasus with Ronon she wondered something. Asking Teyla said, "Rodney, do you remember the alternate reality Daedalus and its power-source we encountered several years back?"

Having just stuffed his mouth full of a strange kind of yellow fruit with the texture of meat,

Rodney looked at Teyla before nodding and making a sound of confirmation.

Knowing it was now on Rodney's mind, Teyla continued. "I was thinking how to do well in Pegasus if we were to be on our own and then I remembered. You said they had created a power source which draws power from our subspace, something nearly as powerful as a zero point module. Have you spent any time working on it?"

Swallowing his food, Rodney replied slowly, thinking about the technology, "Ah, the subspace capacitor. I did spent some time on it and was successful in getting it to produce energy. However, the amount of energy is negligible. So I shelved the project as we have no use for the amounts of energy it produces. Then again, it would be enough to produce light and some heat for cooking. Which would make it useful for quick meals and easy lighting at night, especially since your fire starter broke down two years ago. Once we are back on Atlantis I will take a look at it, maybe I can make it smaller so it would fit in a backpack."

Trailing off with his ideas, Rodney turned back to the table and got out his notepad. Sitting down, he wrote down the ideas that his brilliant mind was creating right that moment, while at the same time enjoying the food.

With Rodney distracted Teyla looked out over the crowd again, Finally spotting Agrue, Teyla told Ronon to watch Colonel Giles before walking over to him. Arriving at Agrue's location on the square, the two of them shook hands in the Sosohr manner. Taking a step back, and then forwards, Teyla greeted Agrue with the traditional Athosian way of head to head.

Now standing together after introducing themselves they had a short chat before agreeing to search out some seats, walking over to a table to the side where they sat down. Wondering about the past, Teyla asked Agrue: "Something I have been wondering about is why the Ancestors came here. While John gave me the short version of the story, I would like to hear the whole story from you. I wish to know why they left the humans in Pegasus at the mercy of the Wraith when they could still build ships."

Looking at Teyla, Agrue wondered what had caused this desperation for the Ancestors and to learn about the Wraith.

"Ten thousand years ago they came to our planet through the Ring of the Ancestors. Or so the tales passed down the generations say. They spent a decade digging many holes, the content of what they dug out being brought back to this very place. Here they built three great vessels, large enough two or three houses could fit in inside them. Upon completing these vessels they spent many months lighting up parts, gathering food and water before leaving to never return. According to the tales left behind by our Ancestors, they left in search of a temple built long ago while the sickness raged amongst their people. No one here knows why they never returned, only that they left behind some giant holes in the ground spread around the land in order to build those vessels."

Figuring it was time for Teyla to share, Agrue asked her, "So Teyla, now you have heard out the tale. What about yours? And what are those Wraith you people keep mentioning?"

Wondering where the Ancestors might have gone in their ships, Teyla blinked before focusing on Agrue. Thinking back to the many times a culling had happened and the other horrors she had encountered in her years Teyla began telling the story.

"The Wraith are a species of humanoid aliens whose physique does not allow them to eat food like we do. Instead, they feed upon the life force of humans through an organ in their hands, leaving their victim dead. Due to this, the Wraith treat all humans as cattle. The Wraith sleep while they allow us to grow in number. Several centuries later they cull us, hunt us, to take their victims up to their hive, a large spaceship, where they feed upon those poor souls that were captured. Only to repeat the cycle. That is what the Ancestors left behind when they evacuated to Earth."

Shock spread across his face as Agrue did not know how to react towards this information about such monstrous beings. After sitting in silence for several minutes he said, "This is horrible news, that such beings exist. Let's turn to a different subject. Such as the history of your people? Dr. Mckay mentioned you also live in tents and that our architecture looks alike?"

"Long ago, before the Ancestors lost a great war with the Wraith, we were an advanced society. Great minds of science created wonders, we lived in a magnificent city. After the Great attack by the Wraith, which was their attempt at wiping us out, the Athosians who managed to survive by hiding in the caves began anew. This time no longer living in a city, instead choosing to live as hunters, farmers, and traders." Continuing on, Teyla and Agrue spoke until late into the evening.

Moving his head to the left, Ronon watched over Teyla as she spoke with Agrue. Glancing over Mckay who stood next to him, Ronon's gaze moved west, keeping an eye on Colonel Giles. To his surprise, Giles moved into the crowd, towards the house. Watching the crowd, Ronon tried to determine what changed. Thinking about it the only thing that really stood out was that Agrue was now distracted while talking with Teyla. Glancing over and seeing Colonel Giles open the door to sneak into Agrue's house, Ronon quickly spotted Lesya and Ry'tac, walking over to them while pulling Rodney behind him.

Leaning over, Ronon quietly whispered, "Giles has entered the house. Lesya, Ry'tac, we will keep watch while you two follow him inside to see what he is doing."

Walking over to the house, Rodney and Ronon stood near the front door, eating some of the food Rodney had managed to keep on this plate, keeping watch. Meanwhile Lesya and Ry'tac slipped inside through the front door. The two of them intend on figuring out what Colonel Giles was doing, what his connection to Sheppard's disappearance was.


	13. Chapter 13

**2012 August 11**

 **Sosohr**

 **Agrue's house**

Sneaking inside of Agrue's house through the front door were two well trained Jaffa, making no sound. Slowly closing the door Ry'tac caught up with Lesya who had gone in first. Moving forward at a slow pace to ensure the floorboards would not creak, Lesya and Ry'tac found their way into the room where Colonel Giles had negotiated with Agrue. Walking through the room where they had negotiated, they found no trace of Colonel Giles.

Suspecting that Giles would have had an interest in the scrolls Agrue had recovered before the negotiation started, the two Jaffa moved over to the door. Silently opening it a crack, they took a peek inside the room. Their sight was filled with a room containing dozens of bookcases and scrolls strewn around the multiple tables, surrounding Colonel Giles.

He was standing in the back of the room, in between two high piles of dusty scrolls. Near his location was another table, covered in plants which most likely were the ones used to create medicine. Silently Lesya and Ry'tac entered the room. Luckily Colonel Giles had his back to the door so they had the element of surprise.

Taking their guns out of their holsters, Lesya and Ry'tac took aim at Colonel Giles. Startling him, Ry'tac said, "Turn around slowly with your hands in the air. And do not grab your weapon."

As Colonel Giles slowly turned around, hands in the air, Lesya approached him. As she walked over to him Colonel Giles started talking. "Did you know that Agrue is not that great? I read his notes. Agrue must have thought we could not read upside down since he wrote down his plans right in front of us."

Grinning he paused for a moment to look at Lesya, who approached him. "He was never planning on giving us the combination of herbs and fruits for making that tea. Or any other medication for that matter. Instead he was going to keep them back as a bargaining chip for later trade negotiations. That is why I will take them right now, as ordered by Mr. Strom. Now get out of the way Jaffa. You have no authority here!"

Lesya felt lucky that Colonel Giles had to hold a speech like he was a Goa'uld. It had given her enough time to get closer to him. Which had allowed her to grab his hand before he could grab his gun, which he had reached for as he ended his speech.

"You might not like us because we are Jaffa," Lesya said , "But we are fully authorised to make arrests. We've been made honorary members of the US army by General O'Neill, just in case this kind of situation would arise with Earth personnel."

Handing over Giles's gun and knives to Ry'tac, Lesya bound Giles's hands together lacking handcuffs. Meanwhile Ry'tac said the lines about being arrested, what his Earth rights were as they had been trained to do. With Colonel, Giles now under their control and under arrest Lesya and Ry'tac stared at each other.

"How are we going to get him out of here without anyone seeing him or his restraints?" Ry'tac asked of Lesya. Before Lesya could think of an answer a creak caught their attention. A door had opened to the negotiation room. Opening the door and peeking through, Lesya spotted the two hunters who had originally led them to the city.

The two of them quickly turned around and spotted Lesya. She swiftly closed the door and gave some silent commands to Ry'tac to muzzle Giles and to walk over to stand close to the door with him. As Ry'tac muzzled Colonel Giles, Lesya's fears were confirmed. One of the two hunters said out loud, "We know you are there. Come out of the room with your hands raised."

Knowing they had to do their best to finish the mission successfully, Lesya knew they could not attack the two men. Confirming if Giles has been muzzled, Lesya made some more motions with her hands to tell Ry'tac to follow her lead. Opening the door and raising her hands, Lesya walked out to confront the two hunters, followed by Ry'tac who strongly held on to Giles.

"What were you doing in there," asked the hunter on the right.

"We found Colonel Giles who was assigned as our team leader this very morning sneaking into this house. As such we have disarmed him and arrested him," Lesya said, hoping to keep the situation from escalating.

Frowning the two men looked at the two Jaffa and tied up human. Whispering with each other, they came to the conclusion the three intruders might all be thieves. Annoyed that the strangers had turned out unworthy the hunter on the left said, "We do not believe you story so we will let Agrue decide."

Grabbing the arms of both Jaffa, they led Lesya and Ry'tac, who was holding Giles, outside of the house. Upon exiting the door they were confronted with Ronon and Mckay, who had been keeping watch in front of the door.

Putting his hand on his magnum, Ronon looked at the five of them and asked with an ominous voice, "What is going on here?"

As the hunter who held Lesya ran off, presumably to get Agrue, the other one explained the situation to Ronon. "We found these three in Agrue's house, in his room of samples and knowledge scrolls. As such Agrue has to judge them for their crimes," said the remaining hunter. He looked past Ronon and Rodney, confirming that his partner had returned with Agrue and the Athosian on his heels.

Coming to a standstill before Ronon and Rodney, Agrue spoke with a loud voice, surprising the team that the old kind man could show such ferocity. "What is going on here?"

Having drawn the attention of the crowd the celebration came to a halt, the six of them surrounded by people. Telling Agrue to give her a moment, Teyla walked over to her team-mates and said, "What happened?"

Stepping forward towards Teyla, Lesya leaned over and in a whisper explained. "Giles broke into Agrue's house, tried to steal several scrolls and medical samples. We followed him in, disarmed him, and arrested him."

Understanding what had happened and how it placed them in a precarious situation, she moved back over to Agrue to explain. She was first stopped by the hunter who had informed Agrue. Agrue waved him off, allowing Teyla to approach.

"I have found out what has happened Agrue. Colonel Giles who was assigned to replace John this morning, is apparently a spy from one of the corrupt Earth organisations," Teyla said.

Hoping she could the negative feelings Agrue must be feeling, in hopes of salvaging the trade agreement she continued. "He broke into your house so Lesya and Ry'tac followed him inside to arrest him under Earth law. If you wish to sentence him by your laws I am sure an extradition can be arranged with our commander after Colonel Giles has been punished under Earth law."

Looking at the woman he had been talking with for the last twenty minutes and back to the team, Agrue made a decision. Using his hands to sign, he told the second hunter to untie Colonel Giles. Turning his attention onto the second hunter, Agrue waved him over. Leaning over to hear more about how the hunters had found them inside his house, irritation grew on Agrue's face, nearing anger.

"My friend here tells another tale. Of thievery by all three of you. And you did not go in until I was distracted by your tales of horror in another sea of stars. Thinking about it, we have never encountered such horrible beings, nor any capable of draining one's life force. Why would the Ancestors even let such creatures come into being under their watchful eye! It is more likely that you were here to distract me Teyla. With those majestic tales of a false life," Agrue said, his voice going up as his anger threatened to take over.

Looking back at the hunter he had ordered to remove the restraints of Colonel Giles, anger flashed on his face at the sight that met him. Instead of allowing the hunter to remove the restraints, the person he knew as Ry'tac was trying to stop him. Before Agrue could yell at Ry'tac to let the man do as he had been ordered an audible snap spread across the square.

Pushing over Rodney and pulling Rodney's gun from its holster, Giles grabbed Rodney by the neck and stepped back. Not spending a second thinking of what to do, Giles took the gun and before Teyla could yell a warning to Agrue and the people around them Giles opened fire. Shooting into the crowd thrice, several people fell down on the ground causing panic. With screams most of the crowd ran away from Giles, understanding the danger of the pistol.

Feeling their theories proved by this heinous action, Agrue and the other hunters who had not fled after the shots had been fired surrounded them, aiming their bows. Before they could shoot their arrows Teyla yelled, "All of you, run!"

With several blasts of his magnum, Ronon who ran at the front stunned several of the hunters, opening up a hole in their line. Now running through the city the six members of SG-14 were followed by twenty-six hunters shooting arrows at them. While some of them struck the back of Lesya and Ry'tac who had taken to the rear, the vests they were wearing stopped the arrows from penetrating their flesh.

Running through the city-gate, which indicated they had reached the outer part of the city Teyla led the team directly towards the forest. Reaching it after several minutes of running, several arrows narrowly missing Rodney and Ronon, they ran in. Now covered by trees the hunters stopped shooting at them, unable to take proper aim while outside the forest themselves. Taking this moment of peace, Rodney asked, "So what will we do now, Teyla?"

Urging the others to keep running, Teyla shouted, "We will run for the Stargate Rodney. We have no other choice!"

"Why not take the Jumper? Once we are inside of it, we can just take off and be safe from these people," Rodney said, anxious to get off the planet.

Still running forward, sneaking a glance backwards no and then to check for the hunters chasing them Teyla answered in short sentences. "If we went to the Jumper we would risk it being destroyed," Teyla said before continuing after taking a breath, "We would be unable to get in without one or more of the hunters following inside. We can not risk that."

Nodding Rodney understood, still not happy with having to run back all the way to the Stargate. Still in the rear Ry'tac pulled out several arrows from his vest, shouting out while a grin formed on his face. "Seems someone should have stayed with the Jumper Colonel Giles! Then they could just have flown it towards us."

Still gagged Giles shot Ry'tac a glance showing his annoyance at the Jaffa his remark as they all ran deeper into the woods. Hoping for the hunters to eventually lose track of them, so they could reach the Stargate without being followed.


	14. Chapter 14

**Anthropos Agnostos:** Thank you for your comment. I see now I forgot to clarify things in my fanfiction. Lesya and Ry'tac were taken in as personnel in Homeworld command under O'Neill who then assigned them to SGC teams. After John's disappearance Giles was forced upon them by the IOA and he was not trusted by Woolsey who as such gave the command to Teyla to keep track of Giles and to arrest him if he were to do something that might endanger their relationship with the Sosohr.

In relation to the two episodes you named, in both there was a reasonable suspicion. In "The other side" they were asked to join a war against an enemy they knew nothing about. So it was logical they wanted to find out more, especially after their host did not give them more information voluntarily. And in the original Genii episode "Underground" they found a source of radiation where there should not be any. Unless for the Genii episode you are referring to another snooping incident?

As for the rights, I had in my mind that Homeworld command and in extension the SGC were organizations with personnel from a multitude of countries and as such the right might get a tad complicated so I kept it simple. But I do not realize the US military personnel makes up the bulk so following the US procedure might be best in futures instances when they happen.

For your fourth point, I had in mind for her to say that to placate Agrue. Though I did not make that clear by making note of that.

Thank you for the constructive criticism and pointing out a few of my mistakes. :)

* * *

 **2012 August 11**

 **Sosohr**

 **Forest**

It had been nearly two hours since the team had escaped the city after Colonel Giles his crime. Running through the forest, Teyla started recognizing the trees they were running through. Her suspicion on their location was confirmed as they ran out of the forest onto a grassy field.

Glancing back, she confirmed everyone was still with her, even Rodney though it was obvious to her he was over his limit and needed a rest sooner rather than later. Seeing that they were still being followed by hunters, Teyla thought about how they should escape.

Dialing the Stargate to Earth would not be a good idea, she did not wish to be responsible for the hunters their deaths as they ran into the shield. Having made a decision Teyla shouted, "We are five minutes from the Stargate. Ronon, prepare to stun as many of the hunters you can as they approach us. Rodney! You will dial M4C-862. And don't ask questions!"

As the fifth minute passed the round ring that formed the Stargate came into view. Seeing several groups of hunters approaching from other directions, likely warned by a messenger, Teyla ran ahead while shouting, "Ronon, run ahead and stun as many you can!"

Standing at the DHD, Teyla dialled the Stargate, knowing Rodney would not reach the DHD for another minute. Hearing the tell-tale sound of stun blasts being fired by Ronon finished dialling, pressing the large red crystal in the centre of the DHD. Turning around, her sight fell upon the large group of hunters. They must have numbered in the hundreds. An impressive amount of people to mobilise in such a short time. Seeing Rodney, Giles, Lesya and Ry'tac nearing she yelled at them to turn east as soon they went through the Stargate.

"Ronon, don't stick around. You will follow us right away," Teyla shouted to Ronon, making sure they would stay together as a group on the other side.

With the four others approaching Teyla ran through the event horizon, exiting the Stargate into an open spot in a forest. Moving forward she glanced upwards, impressed with the other moon and planet that filled the night sky. Noticing a shiver in the event horizon Teyla looked back at the Stargate as Rodney and Colonel Giles came through, followed by several arrows. Shouting at them to come to her position, she kept watching the Stargate. A minute passed before Lesya, Ry'tac and Ronon walked onto the moon, their backs to Teyla. Turning to face Teyla, they ran over to her as she turned around herself and told Rodney and Giles to follow her as she ran into the forest.

Running through the thick underbrush which was not supposed to be there, Teyla looked back to see dozens of hunters coming through the event horizon. Looking forward, she knew they had some time before they would orientate themselves to this new location. They ran through the forest for several minutes before Ronon spotted a cave nearly fully hidden behind some large shrubs. Teyla walked through the shrubs covering the entrance. Finally through she walked into the cave itself, deciding that the cave was large enough to hold them all.

Waving them over, Rodney, Giles, Lesya and Ry'tac entered the cave. Walking back to Ronon, Teyla softly whispered, "We will need to get some extra shrub to hide the entrance."

Grabbing one of her hidden knives as Ronon unsheathed his sword, the two warriors went to work. They hacked through the branches at their feet, disconnecting the shrub from the forest floor. Ronon and Teyla worked quickly, gathering five of the large shrubs each. Placing the shrubs in front of the cave entrance, they both agreed it was hidden well. Gathering some leaves to place over their tracks, they went inside the cave.

As minutes passed they sat inside, in silence. After a short while, they started hearing the shouts and footsteps of the hunters who were chasing them. Holding their breath they waited, feeling at ease as several of the hunters stopped nearby and moved on after shortly talking.

Knowing they were safe Teyla said, "Ry'tac, please check if Colonel Giles his bindings are still in order. We will rest while Ronon has the first watch, I the second with Rodney while Lesya will take the third watch."

Wiping his hand over his forehead, removing the sweat that had accumulated while running, Rodney turned to Teyla. No longer out of breath he asked her, "So why did we come here Teyla? Why not directly dial Earth so we could be home in Atlantis."

Teyla stayed silent for a moment before answering. "I didn't want to be responsible for the hunters from Sosohr dying as they ran into the shield guarding the Stargate in Atlantis Rodney. Now go to sleep. We have the next watch after Ronon and need to be rested."

 **2012 August 14**

 **M4C-862**

 **Random cave**

Looking out of the cave through the shrubs that hid them, Teyla felt some boredom creeping up. It has been three days since they had hidden inside the cave. Having hidden in the cave, they had survived on the supplies they had with them.

Enough food to last the six of them four days. However, on the second day they had to escape the hunters, the team had not heard them searching. On the third day, Ronon had gone out to take a look, returning in the evening with the news he could not find them. Teyla made the decision that they would spend one last night in the cave, just to be certain there was no one left.

The six of them ate a good breakfast to ensure they were full of energy in case it was needed. Having finished eating, Rodney put away all the packaging of the food bars that Giles had thrown on the ground in his bag, intent on not leaving behind trash on this untouched moon.

"So what is the plan Teyla," Rodney asked of her, knowing she would have already thought of what to do.

"Ronon didn't spot any of them out there Rodney, so we will simply walk back to the Stargate and go home," Teyla told him. Slightly irritated and feeling stiff from sleeping in a hard stone cave for the last three nights.

Walking out of the cave, through the shrubs, Teyla met Ronon in the forest. Glancing at her, he said, "I have been seeing some strange lights floating around this morning. Remind me of those Wraith cameras."

"Those are likely the native lifeforms that attacked General O'Neill, his team, and the science team that was here several years ago. We should quickly move to the Stargate in case they attack us," Teyla finished, moving back to the cave and urging everyone out before joining Ronon in a jog to the gate.

Moving through the forest, Teyla started spotting some of the alien lifeforms. Knowing the risks, she sped up after telling the team to run. After a couple of minutes, they reached the Stargate and quickly dialled Earth. With the Stargate now protecting them, Teyla waited for Rodney to put in the IDC on his GDO.

Receiving the all clear signal, Lesya and Ry'tac walked through the event horizon first, followed by Rodney and Giles who had Ronon on their heels. With one glance back to the beautiful sight of a moon and planet in the sky Teyla turned to the Stargate and walked into the event horizon, back home to Atlantis.


	15. Chapter 15

**2012 August 10**

 **Earth**

 **Atlantis, Gateroom**

Worry filled Richard's mind. He had not trusted Colonel Giles but had been left with no choice in approving him as the new team leader for SG-14. Luckily Ronon has accepted the transition in part. But on his first mission, something must have gone wrong as the team had not yet returned. After not receiving a report at the end of their first day on Sosohr, he had sent SG-5 out with a Jumper to a fly by while cloaked. One hour later Major Altman had reported back.

They had found no trace of SG-14, their Jumper likely cloaked to keep it hidden from the locals. After being told by Major Altman that they had not detected any subcutaneous locator beacons Richard knew they were no longer on Sosohr. Determining that SG-14 would likely not have been kidnapped by an advanced race Richard reached the conclusion they had gone through the Stargate.

Making some notes about Major Altman his report on the mission, Richard considered his options. With only the Hammond available a planet-wide scan would be performed quickly. But sending a whole ship before knowing what happened would not look good. Deciding upon a smaller measure Richard wrote down to make a request for the Hammond in case the next to recover mission did not deliver any results. Tapping his headset Richard asked for Chuck.

"Good morning Chuck. Could you please get a science team and SG-10 ready to leave in one hour. They will have to check the last addresses last dialled so we have a clue as to where SG-14 likely has gone."

With a flicker of white noise, Richard got a reply. "Copy that, sir."

Assured that Chuck would take care of getting the teams ready, Richard went back to reading the mission reports from the other SG teams. Enjoying his collection of calming classical music Richard lost track of time while writing a short list of all the mission reports he would be checking.

Knowing from experience how unpleasant it was to not know what happened in your absence, Richard was writing the list, adding several points of interest. When General Landry returned, he would have a good overview upon his return. Enjoying this work as it reminded him of his time at Hartshorne & Slaughter Richard lost track of time. It was not until the blaring of the loud Lantean alarm started that he was pulled out of this relaxed state, which was followed by Chuck's announcement.

"Unscheduled gate activation!"

Hurriedly standing up and getting out of General Landry's office Richard stood on the walkway connecting the control centre and the office. He watched as the Stargate activated, the shield protecting Atlantis from unwanted guests flare up as the kawoosh collided with it. Upon seeing the Stargate activated Richard walked over to Chuck as the security teams took up position around the Stargate. For a moment everyone held their breath. Maybe it was one of the teams dialling in early, maybe SG-14 had finally gotten access to a Stargate. Ten seconds later everyone let out a sigh of relief as the screen displayed Rodney's IDC. Relieved at everyone being safe he pushed back his glasses and told Chuck, "Lower the shield and send the all clear signal to their GDO."

Lowering the shield by pressing the button on the Lantean control panel, Chuck moved to the right to his the laptop. Typing in the command on his laptop a beep sounded confirming the all-clear signal had been sent. With the shield lowered and the all clear signal send, Richard expected the team to come through the Stargate within seconds.

Instead, thirty tense seconds passed leaving Richard to wonder if this was not a ploy by a new enemy. The thoughts left his mind as he saw Lesya and Ry'tac walk through the event horizon, swiftly followed by Rodney holding a struggling Colonel Giles with Ronon following right behind them. Before Richard could get down to ask them a question Ronon smacked Colonel Giles on the head. With the smack to his head, Colonel Giles was knocked out, falling to the floor as Rodney released his hold in surprise at the strange sound.

Right after Ronon smacked Colonel Giles unconscious Teyla stepped through the event horizon, looking down at the now unconscious colonel. Shocked she loudly scolded Ronon as the Stargate shut down. "You did not have to do that Ronon!"

"I felt like it," Ronon said with a grunt, staring at Woolsey as he walked down the stairs to the team.

Quickly walking down the stairs to prevent the situation from escalating Richard glanced at the now knocked out colonel before asking Ronon, "What was that for?"

With Ronon turning to Richard he felt slightly intimidated at the sight of the tall warrior. Ronon's expression softened as he said, "He tried to steal from Agrue, shot into a crowd and nearly got us killed. Be happy I did not shoot him. Now you can still interrogate him."

Leaving everyone wondering at what had happened, Ronon walked away. With a quick thought, Richard turned around and called off the security teams so they would not confront Ronon. Knowing this would require a formal investigation and create a lot of special paperwork for treason, the kind of paperwork he did not like, Richard sighed. Waving over a major, he gave an order.

"Major, please take Colonel Giles to the brig and make sure there are two guards with him at all time. I will come to interrogate him later."

With a salute, the major waved over two others from the security team and together picked up Colonel Giles before walking out of the gate room, on their way to the Lantean bring with its forcefield walls. With Colonel Giles took care off for now, Richard turned to Teyla, curious as to what had happened while they were off-world.

Gaining her attention, he asked Teyla, "So what actually happened?"

Pinching her nose in frustration at the situation, Teyla answered softly, "It is good to see you 'again Richard. What Ronon said is actually all you need to know. Colonel Giles did try to steal, and when we tried to explain that he was not representative of our ways he managed to grab a gun and shoot into the crowd. We were chased off and were unable to get to the Jumper so I decided the best thing to do was to escape through the Stargate."

Holding her breath for a moment, Teyla looked around, taking in Atlantis. "I might have been able to convince Agrue if it had not been for Colonel Giles. We have lost any trust we had before. I believe right now we will be unable to convince them. Colonel Giles likely caused several casualties." Pinching her nose again, Teyla continued, "If you wish to send a diplomatic team you should make sure they are well protected with one or two cloaked Jumpers with backup."

Making a mental note of the situation on Sosohr for his report, Richard's curiosity was peaked by Teyla's story. "Why did you not dial to Atlantis directly? It would have saved you three days in the wilderness."

"I did not wish for them to follow us and die by walking into the shield. That is why I decided upon an uninhabited planet to stop further loss of life," Teyla said. Tired of this mission and Colonel Giles she said, "If that was all I will go to my quarters now for a shower and to see Torren and Kanaan."

"Very well Teyla, but remember to check in with the infirmary first."

Addressing Teyla and the rest of SG-14 Richard said, "You are all dismissed. Report to the infirmary and I expect a mission report from you all on my desk at ten am tomorrow."

With his permission to leave Teyla, Rodney, Lesya and Ry'tac walked off. His mood ruined thanks to the bad news, Richard did not go back to the office to write more reports. Instead, he walked out of the gate room and entered a teleport booth, taking it to Atlantis its bowels to visit the brig. Walking out of the teleport booth, Richard neared the brig, intend to check on Colonel Giles who was now their prisoner, wishing to find out who he was.


	16. Chapter 16

**2012 August 14**

 **Earth**

 **Atlantis, Lower levels**

Richard was in a foul mood. This accident would lead to one of those zealous witch hunts by the IOA. And as the commanding officer at the time he would be involved as well, having given SG-14 the go ahead. "Who was Colonel Giles." he thought, walking through the darker underbelly of Atlantis. Making mental notes of everything he had noticed his thoughts wandered.

"Was he even a colonel. And who had assigned him to the SGC? The orders were all official so someone within Homeworld Command was involved, so General O'Neill won't be happy once involved. It would likely lead to him missing yet another episode of the Simpsons. His kids really ought to get him a recorder," Richard thought, pinching his nose to let go of some frustration.

"At least permission would be granted relatively soon for Dr. Jackson to investigate this new phenomenon," Richard thought to himself. Standing still for a moment to get his bearings. Feeling a tad stumped at his location he thought about it. While he had been in Atlantis for years his memory was still vague on some of the outer areas.

Remembering that he had to walk forward for another forty or so meters before turning left he continued on. Finally a clue on what the Lanteans who did not ascend did. Dr. Jackson had been especially excited on receiving the news. Seeing the doors ahead Richard thought about how annoyed General O'Neill must have been when he learnt he had to tell Dr. Jackson he could not visit Sosohr anymore.

As Richard slowly approached the brig the doors opened. Walking out of the brig were two sergeants, both looking a tad sleepy from what likely had been a long shift. Greeting them as they neared each other Richard said with a cavalier cheer in his voice, "Gentlemen. You must be happy to have been relieved so soon after being assigned to guard the prisoner."

With a look of surprise, the sergeant closest to him responded, "Were you not informed, sir? The prisoner has been transferred to the Thule Air Base several minutes ago."

Shaking his head Richard noticed the worried looks the two sergeants exchanged. "Were you two present when the prisoner was taken?" he asked of the two sergeants, hoping there would at least a be a clue as to who had taken Colonel Giles.

"We were , sir. There was one man in a suit who did not introduce himself and two marines. They handed over the paperwork which we confirmed was in order so we released the prisoner to them."

Knowing he could get nothing more out of them Richard said, "Very well. Write a report on this and deliver it directly to Chuck. Enjoy your free time gentlemen."

Leaving the two sergeants behind Richard walked passed them and entered the brig. He entered the dark room with the Lantean designed cell in the middle, with its bars spaced far apart relying on the force field to keep the prisoner in. With a look he confirmed their story, the cell was empty. With nothing left to do in the brig, he walked out, something nagging at his head. He knew the Thule Air Base from somewhere.

For several minutes Richard walked, going back to his work in the central tower when it hit him. He had read about the Thule Air Base in an IOA note. It had been a short note on the decision to make it into a training base for IOA personnel to gain some field experience before being assigned a position.

"So why would Colonel Giles be sent back there," Richard thought, "No, the better question was why would the IOA plant a colonel in SG-14?"

 **2012 August 14**

 **Earth**

 **Atlantis, Mess hall**

A look of satisfaction spread across Lesya and Ry'tac their faces as they enjoyed the strange flavour and texture of the banana yogurt. Swallowing Ry'tac answered Teyla's question about their training with a relaxed voice, "I would say the hardest was the blindfolded training while in the mountains."

With a surprised look, Lesya looked at him before proclaiming, "You thought that was hard? Learning how to ride the needle threader was the hardest! Please, Teyla, do not be fooled by Ry'tac. Learning how to ride the needle threader is the hardest as its controls are extremely fidgety. But we had an amazing teacher in Master Bra'tac."

Swallowing another spoonful of their yogurt Ry'tac and Lyesa told Teyla more about their training. How challenging some of the moves in Lok'nel and Mastaba were. Yet how rewarding it was then they had completed their training under masters Teal'c and Bra'tac. And then to be chosen to be part of the six Jaffa who would join Earth's SGC. Waving over Ronon who had just entered the mess hall their conversation changed to Colonel Giles as Ronon walked off to grab a plate to fill with food.

Several minutes later Ronon sat down with a food piled up on his plate interrupting the conversation. Before taking a bite out of his steak he asked, "Any news about Sheppard?"

"Not yet Ronon," Teyla answered, "However, Richard is looking into it. He should be interrogating Colonel Giles right this moment."

Swallowing and letting out a grunt Ronon said, "So what can we do?"

Taking it up from there Rodney answered, uncharacteristically not eating a lot. "At the moment nothing. His subcutaneous locator beacon has been disabled, blocked or removed so we can not track him. This does confirm the IOA is holding him against his will. But leaves us without a clue to his location and unable to mount a rescue mission."

Taking a small bite before pushing his plate away Rodney asked, "So what are the two of you gonna do now. Still planning on going to Pegasus?"

"We are Rodney. Colonel Carter is going to leave for another long-term deep space mission in the Pegasus Galaxy in two weeks," Teyla answered him in place of Ronon who had started devouring his pile of food in earnest. "She will be monitoring the Wraith and gathering intel on the Vanir before returning to Earth. Since we can not do much here on Earth but be part of the SGC, especially now that the IOA has denied our request for help. After talking with General O'Neill we have decided to join Colonel Carter and split up once we have arrived in Pegasus. She will go about her mission, return to Earth after several months and then during her second mission pick us up one year later on Athos."

Taking a sip from her water before continuing Teyla looked around the table. "We will miss you all but we need to do this. We need to fight the Wraith and accomplish our goal of getting your forces back to Pegasus. That is why we will be asking several of the representatives of the Coalition of Planets to join us on Athos when we return. Maybe having to deal with more people from Pegasus will finally push the IOA to take action."

Having finished explaining Teyla bid them farewell and left the mess hall to go pack her bags and finish other preparations so she could leave. Turning to Ronon to start a conversation with him Rodney was greeted by Ronon's chest as he had stood up, having finished his meal. "I will go to my quarters to pack as well," he said before turning and leaving.

Left with the two Jaffa Rodney turned to them and asked Ry'tac if he was still interested in the technology. Receiving a positive answer Rodney went off on a rant on one of his latest discoveries, with Lesya listening in and eating her lunch.

 **2012 August 14**

 **Earth**

 **Atlantis, Main tower**

A few hours had passed since lunch. Entering the briefing room, Lesya, Ry'tac, and Rodney sat down, the only ones left of SG-14. Sitting down the doors closed as Mr. Woolsey entered, a major they did not know following behind him. Sitting down he opened his folder, as usual, tapping his pen before opening his mouth.

"Lesya, Ry'tac, Rodney. With Teyla and Ronon going back to the Pegasus Galaxy for at least one year you are one member short of the usual size of an SG-team. Normally we would leave it be for a while but the IOA has already tried to plant someone with you. In order to prevent this, and with the recommendation of Colonel Carter, I am assigning Major Jennifer Hailey to your team."

Taking a deep breath from his short speech Mr. Woolsey continued, "For the coming months General O'Neill and Landry have agreed to promote Lesya to temporary team leader to see how the four of you work together. Please take this time to get to know each other and report back tomorrow at eight am for a mission briefing."

Dismissing the four members of SG-14, Mr. Woolsey quickly stood up and left the briefing room leaving the two Jaffa and scientist alone. After spending an hour getting to know each other they went their separate ways, to do their thing until the next mission came.

* * *

Thank you for reading all sixteen chapters! :) This was my first complete story that I ever posted anywhere. If you see any mistakes please leave a review to point them out. Constructive critique is always welcome as well.


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